The Revolution
by FangirlFangirlOnTheCeiling
Summary: Based on Short Stack's 'This Is Bat Country' storyline. The Underground are planning to overthrow the rich ones that live in The City. Follow the main six - Jack the Ripper, The Thunder, Disco Honey, The Mercury, The Cross and Ruby Red - who only want one thing back: Bat Country. Jack, Thunder, the Princess/Alien, Disco and girl from Planets are canon, rest are OCs.
1. What's Left of Bat Country

**This is based on Short Stack's This Is Bat Country trailer. I decided to write a fanfic about it because **

**A: I thought I could expand it**

**B: It's not real people. Fictional characters in a fictional land**

**and C: Because I can**

**ha ha, only read if you have seen the trailer/heard the album/love Short Stack**

**Short Stack's alternate universe selves...**

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**The Mercury's POV**

I clung to the bar in the train as it travelled through our place. It was cold, like the hearts of the rich ones that lived in The City. I felt my stomach growl with hunger; I hadn't eaten for a while now. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked over to see my friend, The Cross, smiling at me.

"Merc, you ready?" She asked me sweetly. I'm The Mercury, daughter of Heartbroken Killer, my mother. My father was Chanted Riot; he was taken by the rich ones in The City a while ago. My mother had fought in a battle that had gone on a few years ago, truly living up to her name, in vengeance of him.

"Yeah, Cross." I answered. The train slowed and we jumped out, running with the train until we slowed down. I breathed in the cold autumn air, crisp and fresh; unpolluted by the thick, dirty air of The City. We – The Underground – used to own The City. We used to own all of this land; it was called Bat Country back then. It's been 9 years since that day happened, when the rich ones from another far away land came to ours, wanting only power. They built new buildings; destroying the old, meaningful ones. They took people of our society (mostly the mothers and fathers) and turned them into slaves. The Cross's mother had been taken. It was only her and her brother, The Thunder, now.

The Thunder was 1 year older than The Cross and I. He was loyal to his family, and he was powerful. He didn't look it, but if you ever mistreated anyone he knew, you'd certainly end up with a black eye. He was also smarter than he let on. He just chose to let his friend, Jack the Ripper, do most of the planning.

Jack was certainly a character. No, he doesn't murder prostitutes if that's what you were thinking. Jack was the same age as The Thunder. I'd grown up alongside Jack, as our fathers had worked together. I usually met up with Jack on The Naming days.

The Naming days were a one day event each week where the newborn child of The Underground was named. Children were given names like mine, each one unique and none repeated. Jack usually attended because it was the only memory he had of his brother, Fearful Dark. Fearful Dark had been taken the day the rich ones had invaded. He'd be eleven now. Jack always attended with The Thunder and their other friend, Disco Honey.

I knew the trio like the back of my hand, but Disco...He was a mystery wrapped in a black leather jacket.

The Cross looked over to me, laughing, "I can't believe the rich ones don't know this fun!" She said calmly with a small smirk. The rich ones had left us this place – a small town, with railway tracks and old buildings. They were tall buildings, reaching for the sky like a baby reaching for a mobile.

"Yeah." I agreed, walking ahead. It was almost sunset.

I arrived back to The Cross's home, walking inside after her. She sat down at one of the old, withered couches, a puff of dust blowing up. The Cross had red purple hair. Her wide eyes shone a light blue and she had a button nose. Dyed of course, like the ends of my hair. I had long brown hair with black dyed ends.

"Cross!" A male voice called. The Thunder.

The Cross looked up, "Yeah?" She asked as I sat next to her. He walked into the room, clad in black and white.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked.

"What do we have?" She asked.

He thought about this for a second, "I got a chicken today."

The Cross nodded, "Yeah sure."

"You wanna stay for dinner, The Mercury?" He asked me, looking at me with his deep brown eyes.

I nodded, "Sure, Stormy." I smiled. I called The Thunder Stormy because my mother had once told me that he had been born in a thunder storm, hence earning his name. He smiled, ruffling my hair brown-and-black hair playfully as he walked back to the kitchen. I smiled softly and The Cross giggled. I looked at her, "What's so hilarious?"

"I think you like him." She whispered.

I rolled my eyes, "He's like my brother, Cross. No." I told her. "I'm meeting up with Jack, Stormy and Disco tomorrow. You wanna come?" I asked her.

"Uh, I...Might come." She said.

I nodded, "Well, if you do decide to come, we're meeting up at the Twisted Tree." I told her. The Twisted Tree was the oldest tree in the area. I remember when I was nine, I'd come with The Cross and The Thunder there. We'd made a day trip of it.

_I sat in the train as it slowed to a stop. The city was bustling with the day's activities, but I had come out here with The Cross and her brother, The Thunder. _

"_Alright, let's go." The Thunder said, helping up The Cross. He then walked over to me, taking my hand, "Come on, Merc, let's go." He told me. We all jumped out of the train and onto the hard earth. I looked around curiously. Never had I seen a place so beautiful. _

_The air was still ad silent as we walked closer to the meadow, where the Twisted Tree sat. The gentle summer sun shone in the blue sky, touching my skin with it's warm fingers. The Cross and The Thunder ran ahead._

"_Hey!" I shouted, going after them. _

"_Come on, The Mercury!" The Cross shouted after me. I caught up to them and we all got to the tree. It towered above us, like a giant. _

"_First one up to that branch wins!" I shouted, pointing out a branch and clambering up. The Thunder and The Cross followed me, laughing and smiling. _

Thinking about the memory pained me. Our childhood had been taken too quickly with the invasion. We had to grow up and put away these childhood dreams.

_I scampered down the tree after we'd all sat up on that branch for hours, and I tripped over, grazing my knee. "Ouch!" I hissed, sitting up and hugging my knee. It bled slightly. _

_The Thunder scampered down to me and got on his knees, "Here, stay still." He said, blowing cold air onto my graze. I relaxed, smiling. "Are you OK?" He asked. _

_I nodded, "Yeah, thanks."_

I felt a tug on my hair and The Cross stood, "Come on, dinner's up."


	2. Happy Birthday

**Ha ha, I just noticed a continuity error in the last chapter. Fearful Dark wouldn't be 11, he'd be 9. Anyways, I do now own the TIBC universe. Belongs to Short Stack. Just doing this for entertainment.**

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**The Mercury's POV**

The cold air awoke me in the early hours of the morning. I sat up in bed and stared out my window. My home had a clear view of The City, only a speck in the distance against the cloudy gray sky. I breathed, my breath blowing white onto the window.

I lived alone. My mother had been killed in one of the battles a few years ago, just after the invasion.

I got out of bed, changing and leaving my home, locking up and walking to The Cross's home. I knocked on the door, hearing a trample of feet and unlocking of a few locks. The Thunder opened the door, looking at me with a smile.

"Hi." I greeted.

"Hey." He replied; he let me in, walking behind me and locking up the door. "Please, take a seat." He said, walking into the kitchen. I sat down at a wooden chair in a small room next to the kitchen. It was the dining room.

The Thunder's home was like mine: Run down, but homey all the same. It had old furniture, picture frames with faded coloured pictures of family, creaky stairs leading upstairs to the bedrooms, and a kitchen that was probably the only place that wasn't like the rest of the house, the kitchen was great.

"You hungry?" He asked from the kitchen, opening the fridge.

I nodded, "Yeah." I saw him take out some leftovers from last night and heat them up. I smiled.

"Thanks The Thunder." I called.

He looked back to me and smiled, "You're welcome." We heard a beep after a few moments and he turned back to the food, bringing it over to me with some old knives and forks and two glasses. He went back to the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher of water, pouring some for each of us. He divided the chicken between both of us, saving some for The Cross when she got up.

I tucked into the food and he spoke up, "Oh yeah; I almost forgot." He murmured, getting up and going to another room. I continued to eat, swallowing and then drinking some water. The Thunder came back into the room, holding something behind his back.

I swallowed my water and looked up. He smiled, "Happy birthday." He told me. I smiled; I'd been so caught up in getting here I'd forgotten. He brought out something from behind his back, wrapped in newspaper.

"You really didn't have to-" I started before he sat across from me. He gave me the present and I smiled.

"No, it's your birthday. It's not every day you turn 21, after all." He told me. "Well go on; open the present." He smiled eagerly. I opened through the newspaper and smiled.

It was a fairly old necklace. It had a watch as its pendant. I opened the watch and saw a gold and black hand ticking on the clock. The gold chain was darker that most. I could tell it had possibly been lost from someone in the invasion and trodden on, pressed into the earth by feet. I smiled, "It's beautiful. Thank you." I said, looking back up to The Thunder.

"I found it near one of the old buildings. The watch was broken, so I fixed it up a little." He told me. I stood, putting the necklace down. He stood and I hugged him in thanks. I felt him stiffen, but then he relaxed, wrapping his arms back around me. He smiled.

I pulled away, taking up the necklace. "Oh, here, let me put that on you." He told me.

I gave him the necklace and he undid the latch, hanging it around my neck. He secured it and I looked down at it again, "Thanks."

He just gave a small nod and I heard the creaky stairs, The Cross coming into the kitchen. She ran to me and hugged me tightly, The Thunder stepping out of the way. "Happy birthday, The Mercury!" she told me.

She pulled something out of her pocket, "Here. Happy birthday." She told me. It was a wooden owl figure, with black and red feathers.

I smiled, "Thank you, The Cross." I thanked her.

"Now, I'm starving. Let's eat, shall we?" The Cross asked, sitting at the table. I sat next to The Thunder and we returned to our meals, I shoved the owl in my pocket and zipped it up.

* * *

I felt the wind blowing past my face when I stuck my head out the window.

"Be careful, Merc, that's dangerous." The Thunder called over the wind from behind. I stuck my head back in, "Yeah! I'm careful." I told him. The Cross, who had decided to come, was sitting on the ground, clinging onto a bar. The train passed the school. The school was quite small, but then again, so was this town. The buildings were gray and red, and there was a tire swing inside the fenced gates.

I had lived away from here when I was younger, in The City actually. Back when it was clean and safe. But I came to the school every day (except for Saturdays, Sundays and Naming days of course). Another memory resided in my head.

_I was 11. Unknown to myself at the time, it was only a few days before the invasion. I sat under the shade of one of the trees while the others basked in the gentle autumn sun. I loved the cold. The Cross was in the tire swing. Not swinging or anything, just lying there. _

"_Are you alright?" I asked her. _

_She looked to me and nodded, "Yeah." She lied. I knew she was lying. _

"_What's up, really?" I asked. _

_She shook her head, "It's probably nothing. I-I just had a dream last night. Bad things happened." She told me._

"_Try not to worry, it's probably nothing." I reassured her. She nodded and I saw Stormy approaching._

"_Did they treat you badly again?" He asked us. We all cast a glance to a small group of girls – Stay Pretty, Pretty Face and I Will – who were snickering to themselves._

"_Yeah." I answered meekly. _

_The Thunder held out his arms, "Here. Come here, you guys." He said. The Cross leapt out of the tire swing and into her brother's arms. I stood and walked over, going to Stormy. He hugged The Cross and I. _

"_Hey, I'm here to help you. Jack, Disco and I already have a killer plan for vengeance. No one pushes you guys into mud, taunts you and gets away with it." The Thunder told us. _

I smiled at the memory, it was a better one than most. The train slowed, "Come on, you two. Let's go, we're here." The Thunder told us.

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**Does anyone else notice that The Thunder appears in most of The Mercury's memories? Hmmm, something to think about... ;)**

**Anyways, please leave a review and thank you all for reading!**

**P.S. I will be using names from the Planets EP as well, not just the This Is Bat Country album.**


	3. The Twisted Tree

**The Mercury's POV **

I leaped out of the train, running alongside it and stopping. I looked back to see The Thunder and The Cross coming to a halt.

"They're meeting us there. Come on, let's go." The Thunder told us, walking ahead.

I hadn't been to the Twisted Tree since I was nine. We all walked closer to it, and my word, was I in for a shock.

This place looked almost unrecognizable. When the invasion started, they didn't exactly leave everything untouched. They trampled through this place, but the tree still stood proudly, even without leaves.

The Twisted Tree was greying, aching with age. The meadow, once filled with soft green grass and flowers, was now just dust and rocks. Gray storm clouds stood in the sky, and I felt small patters of rain against my back. My eyes widened at the terrible sight.

"It's awful, isn't it?" The Cross asked. I nodded in agreement. The Thunder placed his hand on the tree and smiled.

"You remember when we came here when we were little?" He asked with a chuckle. "We spent hours up in that tree." He remembered.

"Yeah." The Cross nodded. "That was a good day." She smiled softly. I kept my eyes on the horizon, where the train passed through.

"What's the plan, exactly?" I asked, speaking up.

"Jack just said to meet us here for some fun." The Thunder told me. I nodded. I saw a train pass on the horizon, the sun starting to rise. The last stars of the evening were fading.

I saw two figures poke their heads out of the train, then leap out. They slowed and then turned, walking to us. As they came closer, I recognized them as Jack the Ripper and Disco Honey. Jack smiled at us, "Hey guys." He greeted casually.

"Hey." Disco Honey greeted. I saw him hold eyes with The Cross for a moment, and then he turned to look at Jack.

"So, you all answered my call for fun." Jack smiled mischievously.

"Whatever your plan for 'fun' is, Rip, I highly doubt it'll mean staying in the safe area." The Cross told him.

"Oh come on, The Cross, lighten up a little." Disco Honey told her with a small chuckle.

"Well, what's the plan?" The Thunder asked of Jack the Ripper.

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could have a little...Rescue mission..." He started slowly.

"You mean _suicide_ mission, Jack. That's too risky. What if we get caught?" I asked him suspiciously.

Jack hesitated, "Well...I didn't think of that." He told me.

"Your plans are always fabulous, Jack, but this is just half baked." I told him.

"Oh come on, I can think of something on the spot, you know me. And besides, we won't get caught. We have me, excellent trickster, we have The Thunder, our power, and we have Disco Honey, the most conniving little creep south of Bat Country." Jack told us with a grin, ruffling Disco Honey's hair. Disco Honey shooed him away.

"Alright, who do you plan on rescuing?" The Thunder asked.

"My older sister, Die Young." Jack told us.

Die Young was 1 year older than Jack. She was kind and sweet and gentle and innocent; all the things that made her vulnerable. She had frizzled blonde-brown hair and a wide, friendly smile. Die Young was also a very talented writer from what I remember.

"I remember her. She was Ruby Red's friend." The Cross said, snapping her fingers in remembrance. "Can we get back Ruby Red, too?"

"If we can find her." Disco Honey told The Cross.

Ruby Red was another of the ones who had been enslaved by the rich ones in the early days of the invasion. She had long, dark brown hair and wide eyes that contained much wisdom and kindness. Ruby loved music. But then again, so did the rest of the remnants of Bat Country.

"Well, my plan is to get in the city and go in the building where they are being held. We come on 'official business'," Jack explained, grabbing some things from the pockets of his jacket and jeans. Fake ID cards.

"I hope you know what trouble we had to go through to get these." Disco Honey murmured as Jack passed one out to each of us, our photos in a little box in the corner of the card.

"He had to research names like theirs. Such mundane names, really." Jack sighed. "The Thunder, your name is Dean. The Cross, you are Sarah. The Mercury, your name is Rose." Jack told us. He then pointed at himself, "Me and Disco are Peter and Ray."

"Remember, guys, official business. We're testing the mental health of the people we rescue." Disco told us, turning and going to the train.

It took longer to get to The City than it did back before the invasion. Most of the tracks had been ruined because of the invasion, so we had to rebuild them. It took a day to get there, so we'd get there tomorrow morning.

"The train'll be here soon enough. Let's go." The Cross said, walking at the same pace as Disco Honey.

I followed, and just as The Cross said, the train started to come. We all ran alongside it, and started jumping in. First Jack the Ripper, then The Cross, followed by Disco Honey and then The Thunder. I leaped in and then stood on shaky legs.

"Guys!" Disco Honey shouted over the noise, "There's a sleeper cabin next to us! Let's go!" Disco Honey shouted.

These trains were all abandoned. The rich ones didn't ride them, so we were safe. We followed Disco Honey into the sleeper cabin. It was warm. It had 3 rooms, each with a triple bunk bed.

"Alright guys, get some rest. We've a big day tomorrow." Jack the Ripper announced, going into one room. Disco Honey followed him. The Cross walked into one room, shutting the door closed behind her. I looked over to The Thunder, who just walked down the hall of the car and sat at a table, staring out a window. I followed him and sat across from him.

"Are you OK?" I asked him.

He nodded, "Yeah. Just thinking if this will go to plan or not." He answered, looking back to me. I picked up my necklace he'd given me. It was night now, because the train ride here had taken long.

I opened the watch. 5:53 PM. Not too late, but we woke early. I closed it and put it down, sighing. "I guess this wasn't how you were planning to celebrate your birthday?" He asked me. I shook my head and The Thunder chuckled with a soft smile.

"Sorry." He said.

"Don't be sorry. I'm with my four closest friends going on an adventure. There is nothing more I could ask for." I told him.

He suddenly remembered something and reached into his pocket, "Your mum wanted you to have this when you were old enough, it was hers. She gave it to me before she...Went into battle." He said slowly, as if to not hurt my feelings. He placed a red object on the desk separating us.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Swiss Army Knife, I believe." He answered. He took out a blade, "Handy to have." He said, sliding the blade back in. He gave it to me and I took it. He covered his mouth as he yawned, "Well, I'd better get some rest." He said, standing.

I stood and walked to the room The Cross was in, bidding good night to The Thunder.


	4. The City

**Thanks for all the reads and reviews, guys! I love writing this and new ideas keep spilling out of my head and into the story each day. Hopefully will be a long story.**

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**The Mercury's POV**

"Ow!" I tumbled out of bed as the train turned sharply. I stood, looking out the window. It was still dark, and I fetched my watch on my necklace. It was very kind of The Thunder to give it to me. He and The Cross were the only ones that remembered. It was 6:09 AM. I walked out of the cabin and into the hall. The Thunder was up, searching through a cupboard.

"Hey." I greeted, rubbing my cold arms. The Thunder brought out a bag of chips and opened it, where smaller bags were inside. He chucked a bag at me.

"Sleep well?" He asked, going to a table.

"Yeah. You?" I asked, walking behind him.

"Pretty well, I guess." He said, looking back to me. His eyes softened and he took off his jacket, putting it on my shoulders. "Better?" He asked.

I nodded with a smile, "Yeah, thanks." I said. He smiled and sat down, opening his own bag and funnelling the food into his mouth. I sat next to him. I heard the click of a door and saw Disco Honey come out of the cabin.

"Morning, you two." He greeted. He sat down across from us, "Where'd you find the food?" He asked. The Thunder pointed to the cupboard and Disco Honey leaped up, going to the cupboard for the food.

"How'd you sleep?" I called to him.

"Pretty good." He answered, rummaging through the cupboard. He grabbed a few bags and shoved them in his pockets. Probably food for when we rescued Die Young and Ruby Red. "I'm gonna go check where we are." He said, leaving out of the car and going to the other car.

"Are you nervous?" I asked The Thunder.

He looked to me and blushed a little, "Well, a little, but...Just a little." He told me quietly. I nodded as Jack came into the room, then The Cross.

"Where's Disco Honey?" She asked, looking around.

Disco Honey burst into the cabin, "Guys, The City's coming up. We gotta get off now." He told us. We nodded and followed him to the car we'd gotten on when we had first gotten on the train.

"Ladies first." Disco Honey said with a sly grin. The Cross huffed and looked out, then jumped, landing with a thud and running alongside, slowing down.

I came closer, and leaped out. For a moment, the world stood still. I was brought back to reality by the thud of my black boots on the earth. I kept running and slowed, and I felt The Cross's hand on my shoulder, "Come on. It'll be Jack next, I reckon."

She was right. Jack was next, then The Thunder, then Disco Honey. We all walked to short distance to The City, and we soon found ourselves on the streets, walking amongst the ones we despised the most. Some bowed to us, as it was a formal greeting, others offered friendly smiles.

"Everyone got their cards?" Jack asked quietly as we rounded a corner.

We nodded, taking them out of our pockets. We found ourselves soon walking to a tall, black building. It touched the sky with ease, its glossy windows shining.

"Stick together." Jack the Ripper told us as he breathed in and took a few steps to the building, opening the glass doors. We followed nervously.

We all walked down a long, black hall. The walls, the floor, the carpet, everything was black. Some things were white, though, upon closer inspection. Paintings hung on the walls. Such boring paintings, really. Then there was a painting of a tall man in a suit. His gray hair was slicked back, and he wore a greasy smile. I looked at the name of the painting. _George Gray, Our Leader._ What a mundane sight that was. I despised this man with all of my heart. He had _destroyed_ Bat Country.

We came to a desk, where a girl was sitting at a computer. Her red hair was in a tight bun, and her half moon glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. She looked up to us with grey eyes, the white light shining onto her face. She had a definitive jaw line and crows feet.

"Names." She stated plainly.

"Oh, I'm Peter Fury," Jack said. He then pointed to Disco Honey, "That's Ray Grim. Dean Harris, Sarah Nite and Rose Jason." Jack the Ripper explained, pointing to each of us in turn.

The girl, unimpressed, rolled her eyes, "I'll need some ID and some explanation of why you're here." She told us. We held out our cards and she peered at them. She didn't ask anything about them.

"Your reasons for visiting the Slave Hold?" she asked. The Slave Hold, it was the building where they kept all the taken citizens of Bat Country. Now used just as _slaves_. I was disgusted.

"We're from the mental hospital." Disco Honey started, "We're testing the mental health of some of the slaves you have. We require 2 girls, aged," Disco Honey thought about this, "22 to 26."

"And a young boy. Under the age of 13." Jack the Ripper piped in.

"Alright. The age groups you're looking for..." The girl typed some things on the keyboard, "The girls are up on level 22. And the boy would be on level 25. Take these; they'll let the people out of their individual cells." She answered, handing us some key cards.

"Alright, thank you." Jack said, leading us to the elevators. He pressed the button and the doors opened into a gray, mirrored elevator. We all walked in and pressed for floor 22.

"A boy? Jack, what are you-" The Cross scolded.

"It's my brother, The Cross. I hadn't planned it, but if I can find him, we'll bring him home." Jack the Ripper told her. The doors opened and we all walked down the hall.

The hall was black with blue lights and cells on either side of us. Each of the people inside's faces were turned away. Names were in green lights above each cell, along with a number.

"There, it's Ruby Red." The Cross pointed out, whispering. She pointed to a cell ahead of us and we walked there, sliding the key card in.

Ruby Red looked up to us and her eyes widened, "Jack the Ripper?" She asked. Rip nodded with a smile and she looked to the rest of us, "Guys!" She got up. "It's so awful here."

"We realize. Come on, you need to act as if we're taking you for mental testing. We snuck in." Disco Honey told her. She nodded and Jack took her arm, dragging her along as to play the part.

We soon came to another cell. Jack's eyes softened for his own kin when he saw Die Young in her cell, her back to us.

"Good, you didn't die on me." He murmured as he slid the key card in.

Die Young turned and looked up at us, "I thought you would've busted me outta here by now." She said with a sly grin.

"Sorry." Jack the Ripper noted, taking her by the arm as Disco Honey explained more things.

Now we just needed to find Fearful Dark.


	5. The Place Where Bat Country Is Kept

**The Mercury's POV**

We – Jack the Ripper, Disco Honey, The Thunder, The Cross, Die Young, Ruby Red and myself – were all squished in an elevator. The doors opened and we all went out, walking down a hall. We had to find out where Fearful Dark was, and then we had to get out. This place was giving me the creeps.

This hall was empty, except for one cell. A small boy was drumming his fingers against the wall. We looked up and saw the name is green above the cell. Fearful Dark. Jack the Ripper smiled and drew the key card in.

"Hey kid." He said. Fearful Dark looked to him.

"Yes, sir?" He asked fearfully.

"I'm Jack the Ripper, your brother. We're here to get you out." Jack the Ripper told him. A felt a tap on my shoulder and looked to Ruby Red, who was looking down the hall.

"Ruby Red, what's wrong?" I asked. She pointed to something.

"He heard us." She said quietly as a man in a black jacket came toward us. He had a black robber's mask on his face. He was a guard.

"Rip, we have trouble." I told him. He looked up with a scowl. He guard came closer and Jack the Ripper lunged at him, punching him. This alerted a loud siren, with a voice saying, "Guard down! Guard down! The visitors must be the last of Bat Country!" We looked up and saw a camera.

"Hoods on!" Jack shouted and we covered our faces in our hoods. "Let's move! They'll be here soon!" Jack said. He led us down the hall, running quickly. We got to the elevator.

"Why not use the stairs? They'll be quicker!" The Thunder shouted over the sirens.

"They'll head us off on the stairs!" Jack shouted as we all clambered in. The doors closed and I felt us going down, until the elevator stopped with a sudden jolt.

"They've trapped us; we're stuck here." The Cross said.

I looked up and saw a door, "Guys! That'll lead us out!"

"What? Then we'll be stuck in the elevator path!" Disco Honey told me.

"We can figure it out from there!" I told him. "The Thunder, let me get on your shoulders." I said. He knelt down and I stood shakily on his shoulders, The Thunder holding my feet as he rose carefully. I pushed the door open and clambered out, looking back in, "Come on!" I told the group.

Soon enough we were all standing on the roof of the elevator. I looked up, searching for a door to the next level.

"There's one!" I pointed out.

"Alright." Jack the Ripper smiled, turning to Disco Honey, "Disco Honey, you take The Thunder, The Cross and The Mercury up to the next floor. Me, Ruby Red, Die Young and Fearful Dark will go through the air vents. We'll meet you back home, good luck." Jack told him. He turned, kicking open an air vent, and crawled in on his hands and knees. Die Young soon followed, then Ruby Red and Fearful Dark.

"The Cross, you get on my shoulders and I'll hoist you up to the door." Disco Honey told her. She nodded and he knelt down. I watched nervously as The Cross was lifted up to the door. She fumbled around, standing on his shoulders.

"Do any of you guys have tools?" She asked.

"Oh, no, sorry. I left them in the toolbox at the construction site." I back chatted sarcastically. I heard The Thunder chuckle.

"Actually," The Thunder said, pulling out something from his jacket. "Here, use this." He said, passing a crowbar to Disco Honey, who then passed it to The Cross.

"You carry a crowbar around with you?" I asked him.

He nodded, "You never know when you might need one." He said. I nodded and I heard yelling coming from below us, and I saw more guards coming into the elevator. I kicked the door that led up here closed and secured the latch.

"Hurry it up, The Cross! We have company!" I shouted. She fiddled with the crowbar and finally got to doors to open.

She crawled up and then looked down to us, "Well come on! We have to get back home!" Disco Honey helped up The Thunder, and then I helped Disco Honey get up.

* * *

**The Thunder's POV**

I looked back down into the elevator path and reached out my hand for The Mercury. "Come on, just jump for it." I told her. She jumped and reached for my hand, but to no avail.

"I can't, I'm stuck." She told me.

I nodded, "Alright, um," I turned to look at Disco Honey, "Grab my legs and lower me down, she can't reach." I told him. He nodded and grabbed my legs . He lowered me down and I reached again. The Mercury grabbed my hand and I smiled, "Ok, you're fine now." I reassured her. The elevator dropped and I felt her clinging for dear life onto my hand.

"The Thunder, I'm slipping!" She told me. The elevator was long gone, if I dropped her, she'd die. I wouldn't let that happen, I cared for her too much to let that happen. If I let that happen, well...She wouldn't know how I felt. The guilt would eat me away.

"I'm not letting go." I reassured her, grabbing her hand with my other one. "Guys! Help me!" I shouted to Disco Honey, looking to him. He pulled back, his feet slipping and moving closer to the edge of the elevator.

Perhaps this was it.

I watched as The Cross yanked him by the collar of his shirt and he ran backwards, pulling me and The Mercury up and onto the floor.

I looked to my sister and smiled, "This is the kind of moment that I'm proud to be your brother." I told her. She laughed and I saw The Mercury trembling with fright. I held her in my arms protectively, "You're fine now." I told her, "You're fine."

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

I held myself closer to The Thunder. He had just saved my life, "Thank you." I whispered, still trembling. Maybe The Cross was right. Maybe I did like him. Well, whatever my feelings were, I had to put them away. We had a mission.

"Let's go." I said, standing.

We all made a break for the stairs, opening the door of the black hallway and running down the stairs. "This is it! Once we're outta this building, it's a home run!" The Cross shouted.

Guards appeared as we ran down the stairs, cornering us. We were surrounded.


	6. Samantha

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I climbed into the air vent just after I had said good bye to Disco Honey. I lead my group through the air vent, taking rights and lefts here and there.

"Weren't we just here about five minutes ago?" Die Young asked me.

I looked back to her, "How do you know we were here five minutes ago?" I asked.

"I made a mark on the wall." She said.

I rolled my eyes, "Alright," I said. I looked at Fearful Dark, "Fearful Dark?" I asked.

He looked to me, "Yeah?"

"Left, right, or forward?" I asked.

He thought about this, "Uh, go left." He said. I turned left and the group followed me.

I came to a stop when my outstretched hand felt nothing beneath it, "Stop!" I yelled. The group stopped and I peered down into the nothingness. It was a drop. 3, maybe 4 meters. I turned and twisted and got onto my butt, dangling my feet over the edge.

"There's a drop. I'll go down first." I told the group. They nodded and I took a deep breath, free falling until I hit the ground. I curled up and went through the rest of the air vent, then looked back, shouting, "Die Young! Come on!"

There was a yelp and then a thud and Die Young followed me into the vent. Another thud, and Ruby Red joined us.

"Come on, Fearful Dark! You'll be fine!" Ruby Red shouted up to my brother. He jumped, soon joining us.

"That was cool!" He said. I smiled for a moment and continued on. I saw a light ahead.

"Come on, guys! There's light up ahead." I called back to the group. I crawled quickly toward it. When I got close to it, I peered into the room. It was the place where we had come in through, the black hall. There was a lock closing it.

"Girls, do any of you have a hairclip?" I asked. Ruby Red passed one to me and I fiddled with the lock, finally unlocking it. It clattered to the ground and I scrambled out, helping the group out.

"Come on, let's go." I said quietly as we ran out of the building and through the busy streets.

I hoped the rest were OK.

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

"The Cross, did you grab my crow bar?" The Thunder asked quietly of his sister.

"Umm..." She grabbed something out of her jacket. The crowbar.

She handed it to him, "Fight!" The Thunder shouted. The Guards lunged at us we all threw punches, The Thunder swinging his arm around and hitting a guard with his crowbar. It put him into unconsciousness by the look of it.

"Stop!" A new voice called. I looked over my shoulder to see a tall blonde girl wearing white looking down at us. She scowled.

The Guards kept trying to fight us off.

"I'm going to tell you once nice, and once nasty. Stop!" She yelled. The Guards then halted at her command, as if fear had struck the like a lightning bolt. She walked down to us, creating a path with The Guards. She yanked us by our arms and whisked us away.

She led us out of the building and onto the streets, rounding a corner and into an alleyway. She glared at us, "What do you think you were doing?" She hissed at us.

"We were on a rescue mission. Wasn't that obvious?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm Samantha. I do not believe in any of this." She told us.

"Any of what?" Disco Honey asked.

She pointed around us, "This. I hate how my people took your rightful place." She said. Something was up, I didn't trust her.

"That's fantastic, kudos to you." The Cross huffed.

"My point is, I'll let you guys go. Just don't come back, I'll keep you off their track." She told us.

"Ok...Thanks..." The Thunder said politely, but grudgingly all the same.

"Maybe I could visit you people?" She asked shyly.

"If you keep it a secret." Disco Honey told her.

She nodded, "I'll come tomorrow, then." She smiled, turning away, "Now go!" She told us. We ran out of The City and to the train tracks. We saw the rest of our group there. The train was coming.

We'd succeeded.

* * *

**Samantha's POV**

I turned away from the group of people from Bat Country with a smirk. I hated doing this, but if it would make my father proud that I would be his successor, then I was doing my job right. I walked down the road and into a hospital, going up to a certain floor. I walked down the hall of the hospital, the sterilized smell filling my nostrils. I turned and entered a private room, where my father was. A clipboard with all his details was hung onto the end of the bed. George Gray. I looked o my father and smiled, "Hey dad." I greeted.

He looked up to me and smiled, "I heard about the rescue that went on. Did you-"

"Yes. They're beginning to trust me. I'm going to visit them tomorrow." I told him.

He smiled, "You'll be a good successor, my dear Samantha. Get close to them, then when the time is right, dispose of them. We don't need their ruffian kind here. This isn't Bat Country; this is a refined society with _proper_ names and _proper_ lives." He told me.

"I know, I know. We're preparing The Guards for that day." I told him with a small smile.

"Good." He smiled. "See if you can get closer to one of them. Yuo know, make him fall for you. Gain his trust. Maybe he'll let you in on some secrets."

I nodded, "I will."

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

I stared up at the full moon. The train was moving quite slowly, and I was dangling my legs out the door while I held onto a bar. I heard footsteps and looked over to my right to see The Thunder walking to me. He got down and sat next to me. He took his right hand in my left one and smiled, "Are you OK?" He asked me. I nodded, I hope he didn't see the blush I felt appearing on my cheeks.

"The werewolves will be out now." I joked, looking to the moon.

He rubbed his thumb over my hand, "Something's up. Tell me." He told me.

I hesitated, but then spoke, "I don't trust Samantha."

"Nor do I. That's why I worry. We have the Town Meeting tomorrow. Jack has some other 'big plan'. I don't want her hearing." He told me.

"Then we'll just keep her outside." I told him, scooting closer to him, bringing my legs in. I saw him blush and I smiled. I kissed his cheek gently, "Just as a thank you. For saving me and all."

He blushed, clearing his throat, "Uh, yeah. Um, t-thanks." He said. "Get some rest." He told me. I lied down in the train and closed my eyes.

* * *

**The Thunder's POV**

I stood, shutting the big doors that let people enter the freight train. It was pitch black except for one window that let the moonlight in. The Mercury was curled up on the floor. I smiled at her softly. Perhaps...Perhaps she felt the same way I did. I smiled and leaned against one of the walls. I felt something curl up next to me, taking my hand and wrapping it across their stomach. "Good night, The Thunder." The Mercury murmured, falling asleep.

I smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, The Mercury."

* * *

**Hmm, is it just me or does Samantha seem to ring a bell? ;)**


	7. I'm Coming Home

**Ha ha got up this chapter. Everything in italics is a flashback. Thanks for reading and please review!**

* * *

**The Mercury's POV **

I awoke in the arms of The Thunder. I smiled softly. Now that I thought about it, perhaps I did like him. But I didn't know; I could never tell my own feelings.

I heard him stirring as yawned. "Morning." He murmured to me. There was a patch of sunlight coming in through a window. It shined on all the particles of dust, twirling in the cold air. I breathed out a white breath and I felt The Thunder rub my shoulders to keep me warm.

"Good morning." I greeted back. I smiled, "Thanks for staying with me here last night." I told him.

"I didn't want you to be cold when you woke up." He chuckled. I moved and he stood, helping me up. We opened the doors and saw we were close to home.

"Was that worth it?" He asked quietly. I turned to look at him when I had been staring out into the early morning.

"Yeah. That was a good adventure." I smiled, "C'mon, we'll be near home soon. We need to get to the guys."

We walked through to the main cabin to see Ruby Red sitting on the floor, cross legged, with her eyes closed. She was deep in thought. She must've sensed our presence because her eyes flew open, "Good morning. Almost home?" She asked eagerly. The Thunder nodded and she squealed in pure delight.

The Cross walked out of her cabin, followed by Die Young. Jack rapidly sped out of his room with panic, "Guys, where's Disco Honey? I-I can't find him." Jack told us.

"Are you sure he isn't in another car?" Die Young told him. He raced off and I followed.

"Disco Honey!" He shouted, running in through another car.

"Disco!" I exclaimed, looking around rapidly for him. I felt sick to the stomach, where could he have been?

Jack ran out and we were at the end of the train now. This car was the only one we had that was modern. It was sleek and black with blue lighting. This car seemed abandoned, until we saw Disco Honey sitting by the window with someone.

"Disco Honey, good you're here." Jack said. I recognized the other person's hair. It was long...Blonde...Curled at the tips. Danger alerted my soul, this person wasn't to be trusted. The person turned and smiled at me softly.

"Oh, hello. I saw you yesterday." She smiled, pointing at me. Samantha. She giggled, standing and walking to Jack the Ripper, "But I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet." She smiled slyly and held out her hand. Jack stood still, looking down at her with no respect whatsoever.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm Samantha, from The City. I am unlike the others, trust me." She smiled. Grudgingly, Jack took her hand and shook it.

"Now, what are your names? I love your names; they're so unique and lovely." She smiled.

"I'm Jack the Ripper. This is The Mercury." Jack said, pointing to me.

I smiled the friendliest way I could and shook her hand, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Samantha."

"Where are the others?" She asked once shaking my hand, "I'm dying to see them."

"Here, let me show you." Disco Honey piped in, taking her hand and leading her through the cars.

I stood in the car, alone, with Jack; anger painted over his face like a burning fire had set itself inside him. He growled out only a question, trembling with slight fear, "What in Bat Country's name is she doing here?"

"She said she'd come here yesterday. To get to know us more. She claims she hates the life she leads, but I know she can't." I answered.

"But how-"

"We were caught by some guards but she found us. She took us outside and let us off with a warning." I told him.

"How'd she get here?" He asked.

"Let's ask her that, shall we?" I murmured. Jack trudged into the next car, "This isn't good for my plans." I heard him murmur. I didn't ask what he was planning.

I followed him quickly through the cars, each one cold and with deafening roars from the wind outside. I felt sick knowing one of their kind was in my presence, let alone trying to befriend us all. I soon arrived in the sleeper cabin after Jack and Samantha was just finishing up her explanation that she was not like the others. She clasped onto Disco Honey's hand and from my peripheral vision I could see The Cross clamping her fingers to form a fist. But she stayed put.

Was she jealous?

I told myself to talk to her about it later and spoke up, "So, how did you get here anyways?" I asked Samantha.

"Oh, car. Once I caught up, I parked and got on the train through an empty freight car." She answered.

* * *

_**Disco Honey's POV**_

_I stared out the windows of the train. It had picked up speed, and it was currently Midnight by my guessing. I was in the end cabin, the blue lights flickering every few minutes. _

_It was then that I heard a door open and I turned to see a dark figure standing in the hallway._

"_Go back to bed." I told them. Instead of turning, they edged closer to me, walking with footsteps that echoed around in the carriage. I saw long, curled blonde hair and I tensed._

"_Hello." She greeted. _

"_Samantha, what are you doing here?" I asked with a growl arising from my throat. _

"_I decided to hitch a ride to your place. I got on only a few moments ago." She explained, stepping closer. I didn't let her come any closer as I walked away._

"_Listen, I don't even know your name." She said. _

"_Disco Honey." I told her. _

_Samantha nodded, "Now Disco Honey, just listen to me. Please." She pleaded, sitting down on the floor. She patted the space of ground in front of her to signify for me to sit there. Grudgingly, I sat in front of her. _

"_I get that you don't trust me. I understand, if someone who hurt my people claimed I could trust them, I'd feel the same way as you." She told me. I nodded slowly as she continued, "But I assure you, I don't want to hurt anyone of Bat Country." She told me, keeping eye contact. She smiled softly. _

_Was she possibly telling the truth?_

_It seemed so._


	8. Jack the Ripper's Guilty Pleasure

**The Mercury's POV**

I pulled aside The Cross and escorted her into the next car, taking her fist and un-balling it. I felt the train shake with each step, and I walked shakily into the next car. The Cross's steps echoed with mine, and once I was sure we were alone, I turned back to her.

"Something is wrong. Tell me." I urged.

"Well...I like Disco Honey," She started. I just nodded along as she continued, "And now _they_ just seem to be getting close and I know _she's_ dangerous and I just don't want him getting hurt."

I smiled softly, "The Cross, with someone like you around here that wants to protect him, he's not gonna get hurt. Okay?" I told her. She just nodded and I held out my hands for a sympathetic hug and she lightly hugged me before turning and walking back to the main car. I saw Samantha push past us and go to another car.

Jack the Ripper looked down to his little brother, Fearful Dark, who was shaking with fear. "She's dangerous." The young child muttered.

Jack took the hand of his brother, "I know, I know. You're safe as long as I'm around." Fearful Dark nodded without a question to whether his brother would be around when he needed him. I could only hope, for both their sakes, that Jack could protect his brother.

"We're almost home, everyone. Let us not worry, let us celebrate!" Die Young cheered, trying to lighten the mood. We all cheered, a sudden bout of happiness striking us all like arrows into a target. I looked around the cabin, only filled with happiness and friends I knew like the back of my head.

I noticed Disco Honey sneaking past us to follow Samantha. I pushed past the group and followed him, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm just going to see if Samantha is alright." He told me.

"Do you realize you're playing a dangerous game getting close to her?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "I'm taking every precaution around her, Merc. Trust me. I'm gaining her trust, and she's gaining mine." He explained, "I'm not an idiot."

I nodded, "Fine. Just be careful; we don't want you getting hurt." I told him. I let go of his shoulder and he followed Samantha down the hall. I turned back to the group and walked down the hall.

* * *

I looked out the big doors and turned to Ruby Red, "You can make it?" I asked. She nodded happily and I looked to Die Young. She nodded as well, and I turned back to the wide space whizzing past me. Jack the Ripper, The Thunder, Disco Honey, The Cross, Samantha, Die Young, Ruby Red, Fearful Dark and I were all in the freight car. Jack the Ripper stepped forward, taking his brother by the hand, and jumping out. I poked my head out to see Jack the Ripper and Fearful Dark smiling and laughing.

Disco Honey then leaped out with Samantha. Die Young and Ruby Red went out, and then it was only I, The Cross and The Thunder.

I felt The Cross take my hand and I jumped, her hand dragging behind mine. We stumbled as our feet hit the ground running, and our hands drifted. I looked back and my gaze shifted to see the sun, and a figure drifting over it. It was The Thunder, jumping out of the train, the sun glowing onto him.

We all walked back to the town. We walked to the main part of the town, which was a cluster of old buildings. There was a library, with floors of old books that smelled papery and musky. There was an old shopping centre, too. It was more a market of sorts, now. Old stores were locked up, and the food court was where trades and sales mainly happened.

Jack the Ripper turned, walking up the steps and near the old shopping centre. We followed him through the empty car park and into the shops. He turned back to us, "Fancy something to eat?" He asked us. We all nodded and he led us through the shopping centre. I heard a song, playing loudly over the announcer. They usually played music. It was really _really_ old stuff. Nothing past the year 2005. Which was bad, because we were far from 2005.

Jack listened to the music over the announcer and started nodding his head in time with the beat and the weird noises.

"_Tainted Love _by Soft Cell_._ Oh dear, he loves this song, it's his guilty pleasure." I heard The Thunder mumble into my ear. I nodded in agreement as I saw him walking ahead proudly, in beat with the song. We all followed him, coming up to the food court.

Inside was a market. I saw stray cats running around, and people all chattering away. There weren't very many people, but to us, it was a big turn-out (there weren't very many people in the town anyways). Jack the Ripper kept walking and led us through the market. I gazed around the place. I never usually came here, once a week at the most. I was usually in the library across the way.

I would happily spend the rest of my life in that library, swept away by all the stories that resided there, making up my own little world where I could amount to something. But that was a fantasy, something I couldn't afford to think of. The world was too demanding; it wouldn't allow such petty things.

By the time I came back to reality, Jack the Ripper had already gotten us some food. He carried a large brown paper away and we followed; our stomachs and hunger leading the way behind him. By the time we heard the music again, it had changed.

Jack took a breath, "Play it again!" He shouted as loud as he could. The music currently playing had stopped. It was silent and then it started to play Tainted Love again. He turned to us, "I know Vampire Lips, she controls the music." He explained.

I nodded, "Well, shall we eat?"


	9. Scary Memories

**The Thunder's POV**

_I looked around rapidly, searching high and low for anyone. Books crowded my vision. Oh, no, anywhere but here, please!_

_I felt myself darting for the exit, but the doors were locked. I heard a loud crash and looked up. The glass from the dome part of the ceiling was broken, glass raining down on the victims below. The rain poured in, as well as a large helicopter, jet black with a large, white logo on the side. The rich ones._

"_Mum!" I heard a voice call. The Cross. I ran to my sister to see her watching from behind a row of book cases. Our mum was being taken away. Like I did that day, I refused to run forth and try to save her. She wouldn't want us getting in trouble; she didn't want us to go down in bravery like dad did. His stupidity clouded his bravery._

_I hid with her. Jack the Ripper, he was still at the Naming Ceremony with his parents. Oh hell no. No, they couldn't take him. Disco Honey and The Mercury were with him. Why did I come here today in the first place? Of course, we had to research for many things, that's why we were here. _

_I heard the helicopter lifting off and The Cross went to get up. I jerked her back. She cried into my shoulder, "They took mum!" _

"_I know, I know." I whimpered, trying to contain my tears. _

"Mum!" I yelled, waking up. I gazed around my room. It was dimly lit from the light pouring in from the before-dawn light. I dragged on my clothes and walked out, going down the hall to check on The Cross. She was sound asleep. I left the house and went to the market, grabbing some food and going to The Mercury's home. All the houses were on the outskirts of the town, not too far away.

I knocked on the door. "Come in." She called. I opened the door and walked in to see The Mercury, drinking from her mother's tea set. She drank the hot liquid with such peacefulness about her. She put the cup down and looked up to meet my eyes.

"Hey." She greeted.

"I got us some food." I said, pulling out some food from the bag. I passed her the food and we ate. After a while, she tilted her head, "Something is wrong." She remarked worriedly.

"I was hoping maybe we could talk?" I asked her. "Maybe we could go somewhere to talk?"

The Mercury nodded. She scribbled something and left it on the bench (a note for Ruby I figured), going to the door. I followed her outside as she locked up the house, and I led the way into town.

"How's Ruby Red?" I asked as we came closer into town, walking the empty streets.

"She's fine. It's nice to have some company around the house; it gets lonely all by myself." She answered, "But she'll go when she's found her own place."

"I know." I replied. We kept walking and I trotted up the steps into the library. The place haunted me, but it was quiet and peaceful. I looked up to where the glass dome ceiling should've been, only an empty space there now. Books were on the ground, some torn and falling apart, others were fine.

I watched as The Mercury lied down on the floor. She looked up to me, "Well lie down." She beckoned. I lied down on the floor next to her. "No, no." She sat up and pushed me away, then grabbed my shoulders and swiveled me to my right, 90 degrees from where I had been sitting. With her hand still on my shoulders, she lied back down. She laid me down carefully, my head resting on her stomach like a pillow. "Talk." She told me.

"Well, um, last night – or this morning, to be correct – I had this dream. Well, it was a memory. I remembered when my mum was taken." I told her.

"Oh, Stormy." She murmured in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok; I just wanted to tell someone." I muttered. "I've felt like this ever since Samantha joined us."

Samantha was staying with Disco Honey. Because of yesterday, the Town Meeting had been postponed to 5:30 tonight. I didn't want her coming.

"We all have, Stormy." The Mercury replied. I felt her stomach rising and falling with each breath she took; it was so calming and peaceful.

I could imagine myself sitting like this in a field, on a fresh spring day, whilst the shade of a tree protected us from the glowing sun. The air would be fresh, and the noises silent, with only a slight hum of a train in the distance and the wind whispering past my ears.

But no. I was here, in a library. The air was musky, and the only noise was of the faint scratching of mice and rats behind the walls. It was chilly, and haunting. The walls were a faint aqua blue and they had an old, framed painting. It was of our Princess.

Our Princess had no name, but she had been the leader of Bat Country. She never spoke a word, since she had no mouth, but her actions spoke of kindness and peacefulness. No one who walked on this earth knew where she was.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?" She replied, checking the necklace watch I had given her.

"Well, just for the day. To share memories." I answered.

She let the necklace rest back on her chest and she spoke up, "Sure. Would you like to start?"

_I sat down on the outskirts of our town. It was a large, grassy field on a small sloped hill with trees just in the distance, and a river only meters ahead of me at the bottom of the slope. There was a wire fence behind me that was starting to grow vines over it. _

_I had just graduated high school. I was finally free. But to do what? I could always help out with odd jobs for some money, but what was the use? The rich ones were kind enough to give us electricity and water without having to pay. I knew I sounded selfish, but that wasn't enough. I wanted my home back – all of it. _

_I heard footsteps and turned to see Jack the Ripper and Disco Honey heading toward me. They had both graduated with me. _

"_Finally out of that hell hole." Disco Honey smiled like he had completed a great achievement. _

_I chuckled, "If that's what you plan on calling school, then fine."_

_Jack sighed, "To think, Ruby Red would've graduated with us." He remarked in a melancholy tone. _

_I just nodded in agreement, "I know." I looked longingly at the river and smirked, "Graduation swim?" I suggested. _

_Disco and Jack looked at each other, then back to me, "Sure." They said. _


	10. The Hub

**The Mercury's POV**

The memory sharing had taken us both to the time of 4:43. We – The Thunder and I – were walking back to my home. When I walked in through the door, I smelt the tantalizing smell of fresh bread and Ruby Red standing over a tray with the crisp substance inside.

"Thought we could have a little snack." Ruby Red told us as The Thunder and I walked into the kitchen. "Nice and hot, perfect for this chilly weather."

She started to cut up the bread and I went to the fridge, grabbing out some water whilst The Thunder grabbed some glasses to drink from.

* * *

Once we had eaten, we were walking through the streets of the town. Others seemed to be walking to the place where our Town Meeting took place, too. I spotted Vampire Lips, with a battered old pair of headphones around her neck, and Sweet December, her younger sister, following her.

The pair came closer to us and Sweet December spoke up, "Haven't seen you guys in a few days. Especially you, Ruby Red. Welcome back." She greeted calmly. Ruby Red smiled and nodded her head in thanks.

We saw more and more people entering the area, and we walked down the street further until we turned left, walking into an old, abandoned park area. Up ahead was a hub. It was mainly used for town meetings like this back when Bat Country was still Bat Country. It had a cafe and a small library inside, but the library wasn't as big as the main one I'd been to earlier.

I saw Disco Honey, The Cross and Samantha up ahead. No, why did he bring Samantha? She wasn't supposed to be here!

"Oh, crap." The Thunder muttered. He must've seen Samantha too.

I looked to him, "What are we gonna do?"

"Just...Leave her outside! I don't know! We just can't let her in; we don't want her knowing anything that goes on in this Town Meeting. Jack the Ripper has a plan; I don't want her hearing it." He answered. I nodded solemnly.

I felt a hand lurch me backwards and I turned to see Jack the Ripper and Die Young. "How do you suppose we keep her out?" Jack asked me.

I stuttered, thinking about this, "I-I don't know, Jack the Ripper. I really don't." I answered.

He heaved a heavy sigh, "Let's just all go over." He suggested. We – The Thunder, Ruby Red and I – followed him, leaving Sweet December and Vampire Lips to go to The Hub by themselves.

We approached and Samantha perked up, "Oh, hey you guys!"

"Hi, Samantha." I greeted in the friendliest way possible.

"Disco said there's a town meeting. May I come?" She asked curiously.

Jack stepped forth, "Uh, well, no. We're sorry, Samantha, but some of us – mainly the residents – don't know you and I hardly doubt they'll trust you yet." He told her.

I saw her hold her menacing eyes with Jack for a moment before speaking, "Fine. I'll just take a walk."

Samantha turned and Jack the Ripper looked to Disco Honey, "She isn't safe."

"Yes, she is! Samantha is truthful and kind and has only tried to get you guys to trust her!" Disco Honey told us sternly, "Now show her the same respect she does to you!"

We all fell silent. Disco Honey was the calm one out of us. Never in my life had I seen him even raise his voice at us, let alone stand up for one that is supposed to be an enemy.

Maybe Disco Honey was _right. _Maybe Samantha _was _trying to let go of her past and try to embrace Bat Country as her own. I hated to say it, but maybe Samantha was just trying to be accepted. Guilt paved its way through my heart. I'd give Samantha the benefit of the doubt and I spoke up, "Ok. Sorry."

Disco Honey looked to me, "At least one of you is considerate." He spoke. The rest of our group apologized and he let out a sly smile, "Alright, as long as we're all on good terms."

Jack smirked, "Same old Disco." He murmured as Disco Honey walked up the steps to The Hub. We all followed him.

**Samantha's POV**

I had to get in. Jack was proving to be a worthy opponent, and now that he said that, I'm expected to leave. I watched from around a corner as the group entered The Hub. How was I going to get in? I had no clue whatsoever. Once I was sure they were inside, I sprinted over to The Hub.

It was a large building that was 3 storeys high. It was white with red and black signs over it. There was some graffiti here and there, saying everything from "Down with the rich ones!" to "Bananas are a good source of potassium! Love, Jack the Ripper."

I walked around the large building for a few minutes before walking in. Everyone was in the main room, they wouldn't notice me. I couldn't just slip in; they'd notice me. But I had to get this information, for my father. To prove I'd be a worthy successor.

I spotted an air vent. There were air vents. If the town meeting was –apparently – on the second floor, I could take the air vents from the top floor. I took a flight of stairs to the third level of this building, passing old cafes and offices. I found an air vent and entered it, crawling through the vent. It was very dark, so I was relying on my senses, especially touch. If I didn't feel anything under my hands, that meant a drop. There was sure to be one. I found one soon enough and travelled down to what I presumed was the second floor. I kept crawling through the dark tunnel that seemed never ending until I felt a grate below my hands. I peered down and saw I was right above the room where they held the town meetings. I smirked. Now I could get all the information I needed.

* * *

**We must all hate her, but you gotta admit, Samantha's dedicated to her goal. **


	11. Town Meeting

**The Mercury's POV**

I gazed around the dark room as more and more residents of our town entered, taking their seats and looking up to the stage, where a small podium was. I was sitting next to The Thunder and The Cross, waiting impatiently for the meeting to start. Anxiousness filled throughout me. What about Samantha? Was she _really _trustworthy? Or was she bad, like I thought before?

I contemplated this with a wandering mind. I felt The Cross tap my shoulder and I looked to her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm just...Lost in thought." I told her.

I saw Jack the Ripper walk onto the stage and the murmuring in each of the rows fell silent. Jack the Ripper spoke up, "Hi guys. Um, I don't usually talk on town meetings but you see, Dance Alone, he's sick so I'm filling in for him. I have two very, very important pieces of news to tell you all, though." Jack the Ripper announced.

As Jack said this, I saw The Cross tense up next to me, as if trapped in a cage that never opened, or running in a race that never ended. I clicked my fingers next to her ear with no reaction. She didn't blink, and she seemed not to move.

"You know who I am..." The Cross murmured, eyes unblinking. Still in her daze, she played with my hair, staring straight ahead, "I'm going to ask you once nice, and then I'm going to ask you nasty."

_I'm going to ask you once nice, and then I'm going to ask you nasty._ Samantha had said something along the lines of that when we first met her. What was happening with The Cross? Was it a vision? A little dream? A _warning_?

"_Where is it?_" The Cross asked silkily. Before she could say anything else, her expression changed and she blinked, looking around. "The Mercury? What just happened? I swear I was asleep..."

"You don't remember any of that?" I asked her quietly, astounded.

"Any of what?" She asked me.

I shook my head, "Nothing; you did fall asleep." I lied to her.

Jack the Ripper continued with what he was saying, unaware of what had just happened to The Cross, "Now, first piece of good news, I assembled a team of five elite...People (including myself) to rescue 3 of Bat Country's citizens. Now, if those four people will stand – as well as our rescued citizens. Please. Oh, and come on the stage." Jack the Ripper told us. We – The Cross, The Thunder, Disco Honey, Ruby Red, Die Young, Fearful Dark and I – walked onto the stage. Our town applauded us and showered us with their cheers.

"Disco Honey, The Cross, The Mercury, The Thunder and I have rescued Die Young, Fearful Dark and Ruby Red!" Jack cheered, swinging his arm across Ruby Red's shoulders. The crowd seemed to cheer even louder than before and I felt a smile spread across my face.

"And now that we have some valued members of Bat Country back, I believe it is time to bring some more things back." Jack announced. The crowd went into murmurs as we exited the stage and went back to our seats, looking at each other curiously. What was Jack the Ripper planning to do? Another rescue mission? _Multiple_ rescue missions?

The crowd looked to the smug figure standing on the stage, his overconfident smile charming its way through the audience. Jack spoke only 3 words, almost in an inaudible whisper, so quiet everyone strained to hear.

"Viva la revolution."

Revolution. What in the Princess's name was he thinking! This was pure suicide!

"We will rescue the Princess, wherever she may be. And we will reclaim Bat Country once the dirt that is called George Gray and his heir are disposed of! Then the world of the rich ones will crumble and we will rule once again!" Jack announced. "Viva la revolution!" He shouted.

"Viva la revolution!" The crowd shouted back. I had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

I laid in bed wide awake that night. This all felt so wrong; especially with Samantha in our midst. And what had The Cross been going on about?

Was it wrong if I linked it up to Samantha?

**Ruby Red's POV**

_I looked around a dimly lit place. It was a place that I didn't know of. But there were many people here, all treating me like a shadow in a field. This must've been a dream. They all walked past me, wearing masks and laughing whilst drinking their alcohol. There was a bar to my right, and a lounge to my left, where everyone was sitting and laughing. These must've been the rich ones. I looked around for any sign of where I was, only to see, at the bar, a sign above a bartender's head saying 'The Qi Palace'_

_The Qi Palace was a very high class, prestigious place from what I heard. Only the most richest people went there, always in their finest dress and most decorative masks. It was lovely, really, but I seemed to be invisible to everyone's eyes. _

_I walked around The Qi Palace, only to see something odd up ahead. I met the eyes of someone I never thought I would've seen again: the Princess. She held a hand to where her mouth should've been, whilst wearing a mask. She was dressed in a kimono, and her face was white. Was she some kind of display? Or was she just trying to blend in? _

_I walked forward, figuring no one would see me, and kneeled at her feet, bowing my head in respect. "Why am I here?" I asked her. The Princess could communicate through our minds, therefore she had no reason for a mouth. _

"_You are here to know your future." She answered. _

"_But...Why?"_

"_It is important for the revolution. If the events do not occur because of you, they will die." _

"_Who? Who-"_

"_Just listen. Someone is going to capture you in the early days of the revolution. Accept this fate. They will not kill you, they will only put you through pain. But do not fear. She will ask where I am. Tell her."_

"_But then I am a traitor-"_

"_No. The ones that come to rescue me, if they did it with no problem, they would be run over before reaching home, killed in an instant. It must be this way, if they leave with no problem, they die."_

"_But-"_

"_You must keep this all a secret, Ruby Red. You are a very important piece in all this. Accept your future. Embrace it."_


	12. Power Lies In The Heart Of Samantha

**Samantha's POV**

This information was perfect! With this, I could prove myself a worthy enough leader to my father.

I was on the train heading back to The City. I was so close to home, now, and it was only early morning. When I got home, I would be greeted by my father as I entered the hospital. I would tell him all the information I knew and he would praise me and retire from leadership, giving me the power I wanted and deserved.

When I did get to The City, I didn't falter to go straight to the hospital with my news. As I walked down the empty corridors, passing signs for our health, I thought of the future. They would all be gone, for once.

In a few days, it would mark 10 years of Bat Country crumbling. 10 years of our success. This would be a momentous occasion.

I sauntered into my father's room, only to see a cold, empty bed and a nurse drawing the shades. The smell of sanitation entered my nostrils, and the empty bed whispered of bad news.

The nurse turned and saw me, startled, "Oh, Miss Gray, you're here. The hospital-"

"Where's my father?" I asked her.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he passed away last night. This, therefore, makes you the ruler of us, Miss Gray." She told me carefully.

A million thoughts ran wild through my head. My father was dead. I was the leader. _I_ was the leader, now. I could do as I pleased, I could dispose of whoever and whatever I wanted. I could see the destruction of more places and the growth of mine.

I would make his spirit proud.

"Good, thank you. But, could you do me a favour?" I asked her with a gleam of pride in my eye.

"Yes, Miss Gray? What do you require?" She asked me.

"I need 3 guards to accompany me to where the old Bat Country citizens are."

* * *

**The Cross's POV**

I gazed out my window. There was a cold mist that clung to the air, spreading itself like disease. What had happened to me yesterday? The Mercury had such a look of fear in her eyes...A look of pure fear. I couldn't remember anything, it just felt like I had fallen asleep.

A similar thing had happened to me about 10 years ago. I didn't remember anything, but The Thunder had told me I had been babbling nonsense about 'rich ones' and 'the fall'.

It all seemed like just a sick reality check now.

But then I blinked, and I found myself in another world. It was a dank, dark room with only one light on. This was odd, where the hell was I?

It was happening again.

I looked around, this place seemed oh so familiar, but it just was impossible to reach the memory. I gazed around the room and in the middle, under the light, was a girl tied to a chair, writhing about with a brown bag over her head. I went to help her out of the chair, but my feet were stuck to the floor.

Perhaps my purpose was just to observe.

I looked again at the girl. She was wearing red sneakers, and the laces were undone. I knew those sneakers. Her jeans clung to her like a moth to a light. I studied her hands, with black leather bracelets on each of her wrists. She was wearing a button up black jacket with silver buttons.

No. It couldn't be.

I heard the clicking sound of an opening door and looked to my right, seeing an all-too familiar figure swam into my vision. She was wearing a bright white dress, and her hair was curled at the tips, with danger on her lips and a string of lies on her breath.

She was like a puppet master, manipulating us with her fake charm and fake sweetness. Like a tiger, waiting to strike at its prey in the dead of night. Her claws and fangs would be the painful truth, and her soft fur would be the safe lies we were so used to.

She sauntered over to the girl under the cloth bag and pulled it off with one swift movement. Ruby Red was under that cloth.

"Samantha." Ruby Red growled out and Samantha smirked, circling her.

"You know who I am. Well, you remember, dear Ruby Red." She said silkily, playing with Ruby's hair. "I'm going to ask you once nice, and then I'm going to ask you nasty." Samantha told Ruby gently. She stared at Ruby in the eyes with her ones so full of hatred and a lust for power.

"Where is it?" She asked simply with a voice made of whispers.

Ruby Red held her ground, not saying a word, staring back into the eyes of Samantha with a gleam that said she was defying her order.

Samantha shrugged, "Fine. I asked you nicely." Samantha moved around Ruby and leaned in, planting a quick kiss on her cheek with a sound of danger. Ruby Red started crying, and Samantha pulled away. Ruby Red was bleeding from where Samantha had struck her deadly kiss at her.

I felt a weight come on me and I blinked.

I looked around my room. I could've sworn I was asleep, but instead my brother was at my side, clicking his fingers into my ear, "The Cross?"

I looked to him, "What...What-"

"It happened again."

"Was I saying anything?" I asked him.

"I walked in when you flinched, like you had seen something terrible." He answered. I had no clue what he was talking about.

* * *

The moon showered me in its light when I got back home. I had been to the library, searching for old books to read. I walked closer to my home only to realize the door was wide open, and I could stare into my home. Something wasn't right.

I walked into my home and felt something get attached to my foot. I dragged up my foot and peeled off a sticky note. The handwriting was scribbled, done in a hurry. I read it.

_Rich ones have taken me. HELP – The Thu-_

The note finished before he could finish his name. I felt a tear down my cheek. They've taken my brother. No, Jack, he'd help me find him.

The phone rang and I ran to the old phone that was on our wall. I picked it up and heard Die Young's trembling voice through the phone, holding back tears, "They took them!" She choked out.

"Who? Die Young-"

"They took Jack the Ripper and Disco Honey!" She told me.

I heard her voice over and over in my head. No. No, this wasn't happening. It-It couldn't be. In a fit of anger, I punched my fist into the wall, screaming out only one name, "Samantha!"


	13. I'm Not Okay In This Place

**Disco Honey's POV**

Last night seemed like a blur.

_I was sitting in the library with Jack the Ripper and Die Young. Why? We needed to start planning for this revolution, and Die Young was trying to see if they had a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's poems. _

"_So, we need to train them?" I asked. _

_Jack the Ripper looked back up to me, "Yeah. Anyone who doesn't know how to fight must learn. Everyone must know how to hold and operate a gun." He answered. I nodded, looking behind him at the painting of our Princess. _

_She was an alien, that was common fact around here. A literal alien. No one knew where she came from, but she came centuries ago. She was as old as time itself. She watched over all of us like a guardian or protector. She had vanished in the early days of the rich ones' invasion. My guess was that she had been kidnapped. _

_Jack claimed we would find her, but that seemed near impossible. For all we know, she could've been killed. _

_But Jack was determined to reach his goal. He was determined to bring back Bat Country. _

"_Hey, Disco Hobo," Die Young called. I hated it when she called me that, "Could you tell brother mine that his plan is half baked?"_

"_Half baked? Pff. Nuh uh. This is good, Die Young. I just need to write it all down." Jack retaliated. I rolled my eyes, and I heard noises of movement. _

"_Anyone there?" I called. _

"_There's no one-" Jack started. I shushed him. _

_There was silence, but then the doors flung open and 3 guards ran into the library. "Run! Die Young, get outta here!" Jack yelled at his sister. She fled away from where we were and the guards came closer. I threw a punch, knocking one to the side. He grabbed my free arm and twisted it around my back. I winced and felt my head being knocked up the side. My vision went groggy, and I looked up to see a bright white shirt and a blue skirt. It looked formal. I saw two eyes stare with such hatred into mine, and I could realize who it was. The person I had been naive enough to trust: Samantha._

_I felt a guard open my mouth and tie a black piece of cloth around my head. I bit down on the fabric, my vision going back._

I awoke in a helicopter. The noise startled me, and I realized I had headphones on that blocked out most of the noise. I looked around, seeing two other figures. Jack the Ripper and The Thunder. Oh no, they caught The Thunder too.

I was so tired. As I looked groggily out the window, I saw the approaching city. Atop a building was a helicopter landing pad, and it seemed we were landing. I felt so awful, as if all of the trouble of the world had come onto my shoulders.

The helicopter landed with a slight thud. Samantha, who had been sitting in the front seat, took off her headphones and looked back to us. She saw me and smirked, destroying the friendship I thought we shared.

The helicopter fell silent and she grinned, "Naive. That is your downfall, Disco Honey." She spoke with a voice like ice; cold and beautiful.

The guards shook the shoulders of Jack the Ripper and The Thunder and they awoke with wide eyes full of confusion and fear, both mixed together like a cocktail.

A while later, we were being escorted down a hall. The hall looked like an old part of a warehouse, with the pipes used for plumbing showing and a dirty, brown cement floor.

I was shoved into a room, the only view I had of the hall was behind a wire gate. One of the guards tied me to a chair as The Thunder and Jack the Ripper were dragged away.

Naivety was my downfall.

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

"I don't get it. The Thunder – he should've been able to handle them." I murmured, going to my motorcycle.

I put on my helmet, putting a spare in the freight area, and Ruby Red ran to me, "Wait!" She called, putting on her helmet. I hopped on my motorcycle and Ruby Red hopped on my old one. I started mine up and rode to The Cross's home.

The Thunder had left a note asking for help. We needed to rescue them.

"I still don't understand! Jack wouldn't have let himself get captured!" Ruby Red shouted.

"Well he did!" I shouted back. I neared The Cross's home and stopped. I revved my motorcycle and The Cross came bounding out.

It had been 12 hours since they had been kidnapped. 12 long, gruelling hours not knowing where they were. It was like hell, and we only knew who was behind their kidnapping. Samantha.

The Cross ran over to us and I chucked her a helmet, "Get on. It's 9:00. It's been 12 hours and I can't stand this any longer."

The Cross got on my motorcycle and clung to me as we drove off. We neared the train tracks and I jumped off once I had stopped my motorcycle.

"You're just gonna leave the motorcycles here?" The Cross asked me as she, Ruby and I tore off our helmets.

I rolled my eyes, "No, I'll just drag it onto the train with us." I told her sarcastically. She huffed and I saw the approaching train, and I started to run. Once the train neared, I leaped in. Ruby and The Cross followed and we all caught our breaths.

I laughed to myself, "Think of it. It's kind of like an all girl's adventure." I smiled, trying to be the optimist by lightening the mood. We were off to save the ones we cared for.

The night came later, and it reminded me that in only a few hours it was make it or die trying. We were to infiltrate a building. What building, though? We didn't know.


	14. Rescuing the Guys

**The Thunder's POV**

I was sleep deprived, and my neck stung. My eyes were glassy with forming tears. Samantha licked my ear and I winced.

"Come on. Just a few answers." She pushed, whispering into my ear like a snake.

"No." I growled.

"Fine." She hissed. She licked my ear again and I let out a yelp. This was pain I had never experienced before. She pulled away, "If you fall asleep, the cameras will pick it up. The microphones will pick up your snoring." She tied a black cloth around my eyes, making my vision black.

Samantha walked away, every step echoing with self pride. She had had a thirst in her eyes for answers, and it was frightening. But not as frightening as last night. I'd been shot in the neck with a tranquilizer – just before I had finished a note for The Cross and after they had entered my home – like an animal. Then I had been dragged away while I was asleep, and I woke up in a helicopter with Jack and Disco.

Now I was here. Hoping that The Cross had gotten my letter. Hoping that the girls would find us.

* * *

**Ruby Red's POV**

_Yet again, I found myself in the Qi Palace. The place was empty, and the early morning sun was streaming through the windows, spilling onto the floors and into the bar, casting shadows against all te bottles full of alcohol. _

_Walking around, I saw the Princess sitting in her same spot._

"_Doesn't anyone notice you're here?" I asked._

"_I am like a shadow, dear Ruby. I stay when all the stars shine and I stay when the sun greets The City. I never leave. Because leaving is dangerous." She answered with her mind. _

"_What am I doing here again?" I asked of her. _

_She stood, walking past me. She stopped and cast a glance over her shoulder, "Follow me." She said. She kept walking and I followed, our footsteps echoing throughout._

"_How do I even get here? Am I actually here?"I asked._

"_I am here, you are just in spirit. To anyone who saw this, I was alone." She answered, leading me around a corner. She looked up at the map of The City and pointed to one building, "That's where they are."_

"_There?" I echoed. I read the small handwriting next to the map, indicating what place that was. A name had been scribbled out, replaced with a new one,_ "Personal Offices and Slave Holds of Samantha Gray. _Samantha? Why does she-"_

"_Her father was George Gray. She's leader now; George passed away a little while ago." The Princess told me. _

_I nodded. Samantha was leader now. That was bad – very, very bad._

"_Good luck." The Princess told me._

I awoke instantly, shouting, "I know where we need to go!"

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

I stared up at the building, "Hoods on." I murmured to our small group. We all put the hoods of our jackets on and walked in. A guard sitting at the desk leaped up, but The Cross ran forth and punched him. There was only silence.

"Good; we're good. They won't see us." She murmured. Ruby Red got behind the desk and typed names into the computer, then looked up to us, "Jack is in cell 23, Disco's in 33 and The Thunder's in 13."

"Good. The Cross, you find Disco, I'll get The Thunder and Ruby, you find Jack the Ripper. Let's go." I announced.

* * *

I walked down the gloomy, messy hall on level 20. I was looking for cell 13; The Thunder's cell. I looked to my right and saw a hand painted sign saying 13. I looked through a metal gate to see The Thunder, tied up to a chair with a blindfold on.

Excitedly, I opened the door and he tried backing away, his feet bringing up dirt. He was never this scared; he was brave. She must've frightened him a fair bit.

"No, Stormy, calm down." I told him, walking forward and taking out my Swiss army knife.

He stopped and looked around wildly, "The Mercury?"

"Who else?" I asked. I cut his arm ropes, putting my knife away. He smiled and I sat on his legs, sideways hugging him tightly. He hugged me back, "I missed you." I whispered into his ear.

"I missed you, too." He told me. I noticed his ear, stained with blood, then his neck.

"What did she do to you?" I asked, untying his blindfold.

"Her tongue...It's like a knife." He told me, "She licked me on my ear and neck. She also has forced me to stay awake."

I shook my head, "Well you're safe now. The Cross and Ruby Red are off saving Jack and Disco." I told him. He nodded; kissing my nose. I smiled, "Come on, let's go." I said, untying his leg ropes.

* * *

**Ruby Red's POV**

I looked into cell 23 and saw Jack the Ripper. He looked so tired.

"Oh good." I murmured, walking in and untying him.

Jack tensed, "Who's there?"

"Ruby Red." I answered.

Jack smiled widely, "Ruby! That's my girl! First I save you, now you save my sorry ass." He said.

I chuckled, "I actually have some very good news." I said, untying his blindfold and hand ropes. I noticed his neck and ear. Samantha must've done something to him.

"Yes?" He asked eagerly.

"I know where the Princess is." I told him, untying his leg ropes. We stood and he stared at me with an appearing smile, "Really?" He asked, grabbing my shoulders.

"Yeah." I answered with a smile, "She appeared to me."

Jack smiled widely, hugging me tightly, "Ruby that's so great!" He said, pulling away but still clinging to my shoulders, "You're so awesome, I could kiss you."

We looked into each others' eyes, a faint blush appearing on Jack's face. A little part of me wanted to. He cleared his throat, "But I won't." He said, breaking the silence.

We walked forward to exit, and Jack whispered something into my ear, "But I will kiss you on New Year's. Only 6 months, Ruby. Perhaps we'll even kiss before then?" He suggested. I blushed and he kept walking.

* * *

**The Cross's POV**

I looked in to Disco Honey's cell with a heavy heart. Part of me wanted to scold him and say that we were right about Samantha, and another part just wanted to console him.

Walking in, he stayed still, "Hi, Samantha." His voice was laced with melancholy and was slurred slightly; no sleep. I couldn't bear seeing him like this.

"No, it's me." I said, walking closer.

He smiled, "You don't know how glad I am that you're here. Samantha; she's been licking me on my neck. Her tongue; it isn't normal." He said this as I undid his blindfold. He looked like he'd seen so many ghastly events; like he'd seen the fall of humanity.

"I'm truly sorry." He murmured as I undid his arm ropes.

I looked back up to him and smiled, "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Mistakes? That's laughable. That wasn't a mistake; it was the biggest freaking error of my existence." He rested his eyes on the ground as I stood, "I trust too easily."

I looked at him with a warm gaze. He hadn't been hurt by the world's cruelties before. Because Disco Honey kept to the shadows and to the night sky, like they were his closest friends. He only ever had our little group. And now – because he was so trusting – he was hurt. It made me sad that anyone had to go through something like that, but it was a lesson we all had to learn.

"Maybe, but that just shows you are kind and you are loyal. Those are qualities some do not possess." I told him wisely, undoing his arm ropes.

"Thank you, The Cross." He murmured.

I took his hand in mine, "You're welcome. Now come; we don't want you-know-who finding us."


	15. The Train Ride Home

**Thank you for the lovely review from the new guest! Man, you need to get an account so we can chat!**

**You all need to get accounts...**

* * *

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I was exhausted. My limbs were aching, my eyes were trying so hard to keep open, and I kept yawning.

I was on the train home, in the sleeper cabin. I was resting my head against the glass window, peering out into the darkening sky. It was starting to rain by the looks of things outside, and we were going slow, just slow enough so I could see the details on the trees as we passed them.

I heard footsteps and looked up to Ruby Red coming toward me. I smiled and patted the spare space of seat next to me and she took a seat. I ruffled her hair, "Thanks for rescuing me."

"Guess girls aren't the only ones who can be damsels in distress." She joked.

I laughed, "Hey! That was..." I continued to laugh, "That was actually pretty good." I smiled.

"I try." She said. I smiled and ruffled her hair, hugging her playfully.

I tickled her sides and she laughed, "Jack!" she giggled.

I stopped, "You know? If I could, I'd place you with the stars above, 'cause that's where you belong." I told her.

She smiled, "Really?"

I chuckled, "Yeah." I smiled. "You know what else? I never really said it, but I missed you when you were in The City." I told her, stroking her hair tiredly.

She smiled, closing her eyes. Before drifting to sleep, she murmured something in my ear, "I missed you, too."

I smiled and shut my eyes.

* * *

**Disco Honey's POV**

I stared out the window in the last car of the train (the modern one), watching the rain against the window, two drops racing each other. I still felt guilt eating me away from the inside; voices in my head murmuring about how I should've listened to the ones I trusted the ones I knew most.

How could I be so stupid?

I heard footsteps and looked up to see The Cross walking to me.

"Something's up." She told me.

"Still feeling guilty." I answered.

The Cross sat next to me and smiled, "What did I tell you? It's fine."

"No, it's not. I'm a disaster." I told her sternly. I gazed at her, seeing eyes so curious to eliminate my guilt.

It reminded me of the time when I was 17. We were all at the cliff that overhung the lake.

"_The water is deep, trust me!" Jack the Ripper called from the water below. I looked at him from the cliff, Jack only an ant from my height. I was with Jack the Ripper, The Thunder, The Cross and The Mercury. It was a hot summer day, and school was out. The Thunder and The Mercury were sitting in a tree a little bit away from the edge of the cliff. The Mercury had a cold because she was drenched in ice at school a week before, so The Thunder vouched to stay in the tree with her to talk. _

_I gazed down at the water, my heart pounding. It was a daunting task. There was a rope which Jack had clung onto, then dropped from into the water. Perhaps I could do that. I should I have just jumped straight into the water. _

"_You ok?" A voice asked from behind me. I turned around and saw The Cross. _

"_Oh, yeah. Just trying to work out the best way down." I answered, looking back at the lake below me. The Cross looked down at the water. _

"_Why not take a run up and jump?" She suggested. I looked back to her, her eyes so friendly and kind. Like the innocence of a child, not that she was a child of course. _

"_You wanna jump together?" I asked her. _

_She nodded excitedly, "Ok!" _

_I took her hand and we did a run up, and jumped into the lake. After a few moments of falling, we hit the water. _

The Cross had always been there when I needed her.

"It _is_ fine. Everyone has their bad days. Know what? You'll be _my_ disaster, forever and after-" She continued before I hugged her. She stopped talking.

"Thanks for always being there." I told her.

* * *

**The Thunder's POV**

The Mercury and I stared out at the darkening sky, the raindrops just splashing themselves slightly over our faces. We were in the freight section of the train, dangling our legs because the train was going slow enough.

"You don't how glad I am that we found you guys. I was so worried about you." The Mercury told me, looking to me. I looked back to her and smiled.

"You were worried about _me?_" I asked.

She blushed a little, "Yeah..."

I smiled, "Well...Thanks for caring that much." I said. She took in her legs and looked to me, reaching to her side. She brought up a first aid kit and took out a cotton ball. She had a water bottle, so she dabbed a bit of water on the cotton ball as I closed the big doors, moving into the light of the one window. All the doors were now shut.

The Mercury came over and dabbed the cotton ball along my neck and my ear, the fuzzy feeling making me overcome with warmth. She smiled at me, "Well, it's clean, but does that hurt?"

"No." I answered. She put away the kit and kicked it to the corner of the carriage.

"Why was she hurting you?" She asked me.

"I think she wanted to know about the revolution Jack's planning." I answered. She nodded and crawled to the closest corner of the carriage, only lit by the moonlight a tad.

"Good night." She murmured to me. I crawled over to her and held her, planting a kiss on her temple. I'd always cared for The Mercury. I'd always thought of her as one of my best friends, but she was always something more.

"I wouldn't rest unless you were by my side." The Mercury told me quietly.

I couldn't hold my feelings in any longer. I'd waited too long. I placed a gentle kiss on her lips, the moonlight guiding me. She kissed back. We pulled away. Had that really just happened? I felt a hot blush come over my cheeks and The Mercury had blush on hers.

"I-I love you." I told her, "Always have. You're just...You're one of my best friends, but you always meant a little more." I admitted.

She giggled, "I think- well, I love you, too."

I smiled and held her, shutting my eyes as she shut hers.

* * *

**Samantha's POV**

I walked downstairs, and out of the door to my personal building home. There was a jet black limo waiting for me, and I stepped inside, the chauffeur driving me to my personal slave hold. It was only early morning, and it was a new day to try to get information on this revolution from them.

My tongue had been experimented on when I was a child. Why? Well, before we were here, back where we came from, we had the most ghastly scientists. They always seemed to experiment on children, because children would grow up with whatever the experiments gave them; good or bad.

I had a shot of liquid in my tongue. It made anything that I licked or touched with my tongue (except myself) bleed from a knife like pain. Yes, it was a curse, but it was also a blessing. A weapon to torture people with.

I arrived at my Slave Hold and walked through the doors, looking to the desk, only to see the guard knocked out on the floor. I ran to the computer and played back the last few minutes of tape that each camera recorded, seeing the three prisoners being broken out.

"I know where the Princess is." I heard. I paused the screen and looked at the girl who said that. I needed to find her; I needed to eliminate the Princess.


	16. Guns and Knives

**Hehe, hi guys. Wow, chapter 16 already! I'm very disturbed with myself. Oh well. Anyways, chapter 16! Not especially exciting, but it has some fluff. Next chapter will (hopefully) be better! Remember, please review! Love ya guys.**

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**The Mercury's POV**

It had been a quiet past 2 weeks. Nothing odd had happened, just planning for the revolution, which included training up some of the people to use guns and knives. For protection _only_, we didn't want to slaughter if we weren't in danger.

I held the hand-gun in my grip, the cold surface rushing a swarm of goosebumps up my arm. I stared at myself in the mirror in my home.

What if I did kill someone? No, I couldn't. The guilt would eat me away, slowly until my death. The blood spilled on the pavement, cold open eyes staring up at me, frozen forever, as if unaware anything had happened. That would be horrible.

I heard my bedroom door click open and Ruby Red came in in her pyjamas, and I put my gun in my pocket. She sneezed, a blanket wrapped on her shoulders, "You have any more pills?" She asked.

"No, just some syrup. I'm sorry I gave my cold to you." I told her, leaving to go to the kitchen.

She followed, sniffling, "It's fine." She assured me. I pulled the cold syrup from the fridge and poured the blue liquid onto a tablespoon. I gave it to Ruby Red and she swallowed it, shrivelling her nose up in disgust.

"I know; it's awful. But it makes you better." I told her. Ruby Red nodded, "I'm just going out; you stay here in bed. Use all the blankets you need." I told her, leaving out the door with the gun tucked in my back pocket.

I walked out to my motorbike, which I had retrieved from near the train tracks a few days ago. I hopped on, gripping the handles with a shiver running up my spine. I put on my helmet and checked my surroundings, before starting up and going.

As I drove away, I thought about my predicament even more. Did I really want to be a part of this revolution? Yes, I did want to get the Princess and Bat Country back, but I didn't want to fight. But, in truth, I didn't think anyone wanted to fight. Not even The Thunder, who was only so used to throwing punches, wanted to fight. But what's to say he ever did want to fight? He only ever did fight when others were in danger. Hmm, you _did_ learn something new every day.

I pulled up outside The Cross's home and The Thunder walked out the door, securing his helmet. He hopped on the motorbike and hugged me tightly, obviously not wanting to fall off when I started the bike.

"Stormy?" I asked, gasping for air.

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe." I told him.

He loosened his grip, "Sorry." He said with a nervous chuckle. I started up the bike and we were off, driving along the dirt and broken up roads to somewhere we could talk. The Twisted Tree.

I pulled up near the tree and The Thunder leaped off, taking off his helmet. I took mine off and put my bike down, going to the tree. I looked up at it and started to climb, the air becoming colder each time I pulled myself higher. The Thunder followed me up.

I perched myself on a branch, pulling out my gun. The Thunder sat next to me and looked at the gun, then to me, "Feeling uneasy knowing you have a gun?"

"Yeah." I admitted. "I mean, this is so dangerous. One slip," I said, aiming it to the sun, "And someone gets hurt or killed." I said, shooting. The noise pierced the air ad reached for the sun, before falling short and landing with a tiny 'klink' sound on the dirt. I put the gun back in my pocket.

"I know. But think about it: what do you think is worse? Guns or knives?" He asked me, pulling out a knife from his jacket, "The bullet does the job fine, but you have to actually get near the person and stab them with a knife." He told me, stabbing the knife into the tree with ease, showing how strong he was.

I thought about this. Perhaps he was right, perhaps knives were worse than guns. The way a cold blade would slide against someone's skin and then spill their blood, just another job taken care off. The person left slaughtered on the road, surrounding themselves in a pool of their own blood.

"I don't know anymore, really." I told him. "Probably, to Samantha, we're just chess pieces in this upcoming revolution. To her, this is all just a big game. And she wants to win." I noted, hanging my head.

"She won't-"

"What if she does?" I asked, looking back to The Thunder. "What if she triumphs? Then what? Do we try again? Does she take us – all of us – into her 'Slave Hold'? What if she kills us?" I asked, breathing heavily. I was panicking. I was always the first to panic.

"Hey, hey calm down." The Thunder told me, taking me in his arms while balancing himself on the branch we were sitting on.

I started to calm down and pulled away, "Let's not talk about that anymore." He advised me.

I nodded, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, maybe we could talk about us." He suggested shyly, talking about the time we'd spent on the train and the feelings we exchanged and the kiss we shared. "I mean, we can't go on as if nothing happened."

"Oh." I said, slightly surprised. We hadn't talked about it since; we'd just carried on. "Well...Did you actually mean what you said when we were on the train? Or was that just a spur of the moment thing?" I asked him.

He smiled, "Of course I meant what I said."

"Well...Would you consider us...Girlfriend and boyfriend?" I asked awkwardly.

"We haven't exactly been on any dates." He said.

"Yeah we have. Think about it, every time we went on an adventure was like a date." I giggled.

He ruffled my hair, "There's a reason I fell for you, you know? You seem to think adventures are dates." He told me, smiling.

"So what do you think?" I asked, going back to the question.

He planted a kiss on my nose, "Yes, yes I would." He agreed.

"Good. I think so too." I looked at the mountains over in the distance, "Fancy going for a ride over in the mountains?" I asked.

"Sounds like fun, _sweetie_." He said.

"Yeah, don't call me that." I told him.

"Just trying it out. How about darling?" He asked as I climbed down the tree.

"No."

"Hmm...How about Merc?" He asked.

"Just call me that and I'll be very happy."


	17. Fate Calls

**Ruby Red's POV**

I stared out my window, the rain heavily beating down and dousing the earth in cold freshness. The thunder sounded in the sky with massive thumps, like enormous drums in the sky. I felt my eyes grow heavy and I looked at my clock. 12:18, just a few minutes after midnight.

My eyes gave into the temptation of sleep and my vision went black as I lay back in my bed, the safety of knowing The Mercury was in the other room letting me sleep.

_Again, I was in the Qi Palace. It was still busy, even though it was midnight. Many people held champagne glasses in their hands, the other hand holding up their masks. One drunken man was falling over his own two feet, and then was being escorted out. That was the only time I giggled a little when I was here. _

_I felt scared in the pit of my stomach; my time being safe was most probably coming to an end. Samantha would take me soon enough and I would have to tell her where the Princess was. The thought of me doing that scared me._

_But what would come after we eventually did save her? It couldn't be over that easily. Samantha would still be alive, and she'd just come back to try and get the Princess. Nothing would really be over until Samantha was gone, because as far as I knew, Samantha had no heir. _

_Samantha had to die, but who would slay the knife at her? _

_I looked across the room to see the Princess looking back at me, her eyes so full of knowledge; knowledge of what would happen. I took wary steps forward, each one aching with my fate. _

"_Your death doesn't fall into their possession, Ruby Red. You must not fear anything." She told me. I nodded, feeling hollow and empty. _

"_I realize. But it still doesn't mean that I am not fearful of my fate. Fear seems to clutch onto me like a scared child that won't let go." I told her quietly. _

_The Princess couldn't say anything to make me feel better. She stayed silent, like a shadow in winter. I felt a shiver creep up my spine and I blinked, waking up in my room. _

The house ached with silence. I looked out the window to see everything outside was wet, the cracked concrete paths shining with the moonlight and the dirt muddy. The moon hung in the sky, only a half now.

The moon seemed so lonely, as if it wanted to sing and tell all the stories it knew. It seemed like it yearned to be here instead of up there. Like someone's soul was trapped inside, eagerly awaiting its release from the dark prison.

I cast a glance onto the path to see a black car roll up at the back of the house. A figure hopped out and I ducked down. My heart beat a million miles per hour, like a rabbit thumping its foot. A few silent moments passed and I looked up again, only to see the figure gone, with the back two doors of the car left open. Two other figures must've left the car.

This was it. Were they really coming for me now? What if The Mercury intervened? Would she secure my safety, ruining everything?

I decided if I was going to be kidnapped, I might as well have looked good. I tore off the old pyjamas I had on and pulled on my black leggings, then a silver skirt. I put on my nicest boots and then pulled on a silver long sleeved shirt, then my black jacket.

I exited my room and looked down at the door from a corner upstairs, then peered down at the staircase. The door led into the hallway or into the staircase.

This worried me even more now. How worried would they be about me? It pained me thinking about it. Would they panic? Would they go into over-protective mode? How would Jack the Ripper react? Would he worry about me? A little part of me told me that he would.

The door handle turned and I hid behind the corner of the wall. Careful footsteps came up the creaky staircase and I heard stirring coming from The Mercury's room. I begged that she wouldn't interfere. My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest it was thumping so hard. I saw Samantha come up the stairs and her eyes locked with mine. She came running to me and I backed away at a quick pace. She twisted me around and flung an arm around my stomach, holding me in place as she clasped her free hand over my mouth.

Because of habit and the fear that had boiled inside me for Samantha, I screamed a muffled scream. Mercury's door flung open and I saw her emerge; she had fallen lazily asleep in her clothes. "You'll be a nice person to interrogate at my slave hold." Samantha said, licking me with her tongue. It stung like millions of piercing knives and my eyes watered. The Mercury approached and swung a fist at Samantha.

Sadly, The Mercury wasn't a good fighter in the dark hallways, so she missed. The guards who had obviously come with Samantha trampled up the stairs as The Mercury tried calling up someone on the wall phone. I was starting to be dragged away. I looked over my shoulder as The Mercury started to talk into the phone, but one of the guards injected something into her neck with a needle. She closed her eyes and the guard roughly dropped her to the ground, her limp body slumping and falling onto her side.

They were really taking me. This was it.

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

I awoke to The Cross shaking my shoulders. I shrouded my eyes from the piercing bright light that was on in the hallway upstairs as I blinked awake. She smiled, "Thank goodness." She murmured as she helped me up and hugged me tightly.

"You rang me and all I heard was 'Samantha's taking Ruby-' and then you were cut off and the phone went dead." The Cross explained. I looked around to see The Thunder sitting against the wall, Disco Honey behind The Cross, and Jack the Ripper nervously pacing the hallway. I could already tell he was worried about Ruby Red.

"I'm so sorry. One of the guards injected some kind of sleeping serum into me." I murmured. The Thunder looked up and met my tired eyes and he got up, walking over and taking me from the arms of one of my best friends. He hugged me protectively.

Jack the Ripper then looked up to me, "So who took her again?"

"Samantha. She mentioned the Slave Hold." I told him.

He nodded, "Now she'll be expecting a rescue, and they'll probably catch us."

"So what do we do?" Disco Honey asked.

Jack looked up to him, then to all of us. "The revolution begins now."


	18. Walking Into Danger's Territory

**The Mercury's POV**

I stared out of the doors of the train.

All of the town were on this train, and we were all travelling to The City. We had 5 minutes left until we got there. I looked over to The Thunder nervously, holding my gun. He looked back to me and started toward me, "Couldn't sleep?"

"No, I'm too nervous, my hands are shaking." I told him as my hands shook like they were going to fall off. The coldness of the gun in my hand just made them shake more, and nerves settled in the pit of my stomach.

The Thunder kissed my forehead, "I'm right here with you, so don't panic." He told me quietly. I nodded and we looked across the freight carriage to see Jack the Ripper standing sturdily at another door, looking out into the world, his eyes solemn and sad, his face sturdy and determined.

"He really misses her, doesn't he?" I asked The Thunder quietly, referring to none other than Ruby Red.

"He worries a lot about her, yes." Stormy agreed.

"I worry more about The Cross." I said, casting a glance over my shoulder to The Cross, who was curled up in the protective arms of Disco Honey, both of them fast asleep.

"What do you mean?"

"She keeps getting those-those visions, remember?" I asked, trying to get him to remember.

He nodded, "She got one last night, that's why Disco is with her." He told me quietly. It was around 2:25 AM.

**The Cross's POV**

I awoke in peace. The train swayed in the cold night air and I looked around me to see Disco Honey still holding me. I smiled softly and looked up to my brother and my best friend, who were lost in conversation.

I suddenly remembered why we were here. Then I grew panicked, and I shut my eyes for a moment.

_I was in a dimly lit storeroom. This all seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. Ruby Red was sitting in a chair, her hair hanging over her eyes and her head hung in pain. She was whimpering softly, and she raised her head. There were long blood marks on her neck and cheeks. _

"_Ruby?" I asked. She did not react. "Ruby, can you hear me?" I asked again. No reply. I sighed, finally knowing the feeling of invisibility as it gnawed at me as I watched Ruby Red try to struggle free. _

_I saw the door start to click open._

I blinked, finding Disco Honey rubbing my shoulders, "Hey, you there?" He asked, concerned.

I nodded, forgetting what had happened, "Yeah, sorry." I answered meekly.

"Good. We'll be there soon, and we'll have to fight. As long as you have your energy, you'll be fine." He assured me. I nodded.

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I gazed out into the dusty area near The City, and I felt tired and weak. My mind kept wandering back to what was happening to Ruby Red, and I couldn't help but flinch at the thought of Samantha doing what she had done to us. I hoped she wouldn't use that tongue of hers on Ruby; Ruby was like a deer. Sweet and gentle and kind, but strong willed. Samantha would ensure her downfall.

I shuddered at the thought, and then turned back to my group, "Get the others, we're ready to go." I said as my stomach churned. The Cross got up and left, going to the other cars to alert them that I would be leading them to their fate. More thoughts and guilt settled in my stomach: what if some were killed? _I_ was the one leading them all into this. We were all prepared to die for Bat Country.

Why couldn't this all just be a bad dream? I pinched myself to make sure. I didn't wake up somewhere safe and warm, no, I was still on the old train in the cold, surrounding myself with thoughts of my friends in this battle.

I looked around the room at all of them. Disco Honey, the quiet mystery, The Thunder, one of the bravest and smartest people I knew, The Cross, the girl who probably knew more than most of us and had a mind lost in visions, and The Mercury,

"The Thunder, you go first." I told him. He nodded and jumped out, The Mercury and Disco Honey following after. The rest of the remnants of Bat Country jumped out after, then The Cross. I got out last, feeling the wind rush underneath me. I thudded to the ground and let out a sigh, looking upward to The City.

"Alright, once we have fought, you will all leave to take over the control rooms and any official buildings. Try and find Samantha, the blonde haired girl who was in our midst only a short while ago. If you do find her, contain her at once. My group will go to the Qi Palace." I said. Ruby had informed me of the whereabouts of the Princess before she was taken.

We all turned and faced The City, walking to our fate with determined states of mind.

**Ruby Red's POV**

I was dragged down a hall by two guards. Samantha was long gone; she went to her home to catch up on rest. My limbs ached and I just wanted to sleep, but that probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

I was in the Slave Hold. The guards led me down another corridor and they opened a creaky old wooden door, pushing me into the room. One of them followed me in and grabbed my wrists. I didn't resist; I was too tired too, anyway.

He sat me down at a chair and tied me up, the light shining on my face, providing me with warmth as I breathed out a cloud of smoky whiteness.

The guard placed a bag over my head and left. I sighed, struggling to try and free myself. But I couldn't. I had to stay here and wait to give the information.

If the revolution was starting soon, I hoped that Samantha would be asleep.


	19. Infiltrating The Qi Palace

**The Cross's POV **

I stared out at The City as we walked closer to it. It was 2:34 AM. Only a few people we out, but we were like shadows. We walked into The City and the air stood still, as if it were awaiting our arrival. "Tech group, go." Jack the Ripper announced.

The tech group were a group of individuals good with computers. Jack the Ripper had set them up to infiltrate the broadcasting building and deliver a recorded tape to put on air. To warn them that we were here.

I watched them go, and only a few minutes later all the screens of advertising billboards and screens in television stores were lit up with a masked face. In a big, booming voice (played by Disco Honey), the face spoke, "Hello citizens of The City,"

Everyone walking looked to the screens, and I peered into people's apartments, the television suddenly turned on. The face spoke, "We, the remaining citizens of Bat Country, the place you lovingly destroyed so long ago, have come to reclaim our home. If you do not want to find yourself at the hands of death, and we do not wish to kill, please forward yourself to the slave hold and arrest yourself there. You have no right to be in our home any longer."

Like bullets, most of the people on the streets ran like cowards, to the Slave Hold they all went. People in their apartments also exited and ran. But some people stayed.

I looked to my left and saw The Mercury hold her gun to the sky, shooting and making a loud bang. A few people moved, but some stayed, pulling their own guns from their pockets. The rich ones were always prepared. The knives glistened in the moonlight and the bright lights of the screens, and we all scowled at them.

They lunged themselves at us and battle began.

I kicked some people away, running down the street. I knocked out someone and then held my knife to someone else's neck. The backed away and ran for the slave hold.

One man, towering above me, kicked me in the legs. I fell to the ground and got up, punching him and jumping away as he doubled over in pain. He made another swipe for me but I dodged. But then he grabbed my shoulders and flung me into an alleyway. I landed with a thud in a near-empty bin, and my vision blurred.

I heard a groan of pain a few moments later and opened my eyes as I heard footsteps. Disco Honey poked his head into the bin and his eyes grew worried. He turned and grabbed a crate, then passed it to me. I put it on the ground and he jumped into the bin. He stood and picked me up gently, getting on the crate. From there, he carefully stood on the lid of the bin, then jumped down, myself still in his arms.

"Are you ok?" He asked me gently.

"Just a little light headed that's all." I answered groggily. He put me down carefully, "Some have died. We're done with this battle, but now we must make our way to the Qi Palace." He said. I noticed he was now wearing a tie.

"Did you take that from someone?" I asked.

"Yeah, now let's go." He said, taking my hand and leading me out of the alleyway.

We – myself, Disco Honey, Jack the Ripper (who was carrying a cardboard box), The Thunder and The Mercury – walked to the Qi Palace, which seemed to be unaware of the news. No one was guarding the doors, but The Mercury and I didn't look as if we were going somewhere fancy like here. Every lady in The City usually wore dresses, and we were in shirts and jeans. The guys were fine; they always dressed like that anyway.

"We can't go in like this." I said. Jack the Ripper nodded, and opened the box he'd been carrying, "In all the mess during our arrival, someone dropped this delivery. Take your pick." He said, dropping the box on the ground. I bent down ad picked out a purple dress with gold lacing over the chest and stomach and long sleeves and some shoes. I also grabbed a mask. The Mercury picked out a dark red dress with a black side corset and similar lacing that went over the stomach and chest, with long sleeves. She grabbed some black arm warmers and shoes.

"There's a bathroom in there, you can change there." Jack told us. "Keep the box in the bathroom and keep your clothes in the box." He started to walk in and we all followed. Jack walked in first, then Disco Honey, then The Thunder. One by one, we entered our challenge. We went to the bathroom, changing into the dresses.

We emerged a few moments later and I saw Disco Honey sitting on a lounge surrounded by a string of other girls. I walked to him and he looked up at me with a smile, scooting over. He leaned in close to my ear, "Play along to what I do." He whispered. I nodded and he slung his arm around my waist, "Lie down, darling." He told me. I laid down beside him, and our eyes locked as he smiled. I smiled back.

The girls still hung around and conversed with Disco Honey.

"What is your name, anyway?" One asked.

"David." He answered, "And this is my friend, Sarah." He looked down to me.

"Ah." She nodded. "Would any of you like some champagne?" She asked.

"Um, no thanks." Disco Honey answered.

"None for me, either." I answered. Disco Honey helped me up as the girl stayed, talking to some of the others. I turned to him, "I want them to go away. I can't keep a eye on jack from here."

Disco Honey thought about this, and then placed a hand on my back, "Play along." He told me quietly. He leaned in and started to kiss me, and I closed my eyes. He was soft and gentle. To say I was surprised was an understatement. But I savored the moment, kissing him back. I had feelings for him; perhaps this wasn't just an act for him as well.

I opened my eyes and saw that the girls were starting to leave. Disco Honey had opened his eyes and seen as well, but didn't pull away. Instead, he took my hands in his and kept kissing. He then pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry I didn't pull away. But it felt right being like that with you." He murmured.

"Don't worry, it felt like that for me, too." I answered. He smiled and I smiled back.

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

I exited the bathroom after The Cross and saw The Thunder staring up at a man with a beard, the man's mask in Stormy's hand.

I rushed forward, "I'm so sorry about him, sir. He's with me." I told the man, grabbing The Thunder and pulling him back.

"Well keep him in check, will you?" The man with the beard spat, walking away.

I took The Thunder away and whispered in his ear, "What were you doing?" I asked.

"He was in my way and wouldn't move." He answered nonchalantly.

I nodded, "Fine. But c'mon, we have to keep an eye on Jack the Ripper." I said, leading him to a lounge. We sat down and I leaned into him, yawning.

"Tired?" He asked.

"A little." I answered.

"Hold on, I'll get you something for that." He went to the bar and came back a few moments later with a gingery looking liquid in a champagne glass, "Some energy drink."

"In a champagne glass?" I asked with a chuckle.

"It needs to be at least a little fancy." He answered. I smiled and took the drink from his outstretched hand and he sat beside me as I drank it. "You'll have energy soon enough."

"Thanks." I smiled as he kissed my temple.


	20. Old Friends Meet At Bars

**Wow chapter 20 already! Remember guys, please leave a review. Thanks so much for reading and all the support I receive, you guys are the best readers I could wish for.**

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**Ruby Red's POV**

I had been waiting here under this cloth bag for what seemed like forever. Each of my breaths had been raspy and nervous. But I knew this was inevitable, I had to go through with this. I writhed about, once more trying to free myself, but to no avail.

I felt the bag being pulled off my head and I shut my eyes from the blinding light that was overhead of me. I opened them again softly and saw Samantha smiling down at me, the most evil smile you could imagine.

"Samantha." I growled, my eyes holding hers.

She circled me, "You know who I am. Well, you remember, dear Ruby Red." Samantha noted. She then stopped and played with my hair, like a kitten, but with an air of hate, "I'm going to ask you once nice, and then I'm going to ask you nasty." She said simply. She leaned into my ear with a whisper, "Where is it?"

She was talking about the Princess, of course. How she had found this information that I knew, I would never know, but she knew I knew, and she was hell-bent on finding out the Princess's whereabouts. No, I wasn't going to say anything yet. My gut instinct would tell me when to say.

I looked back to Samantha, my eyes filled with defiance. I wouldn't let her feast in the pleasure of knowing where she was – yet.

"Fine." Samantha sighed, almost pitying me, "I asked you nicely." She leaned into my cheek and kissed me, poking my cheek with her tongue.

It stung like no other pain I had ever experienced before, and my eyes started to well with hot tears. She just smirked, "Oh stop it Ruby. I thought you were strong." She jeered. She poked me again with her tongue and the tears fell down my cheeks, "Guess not."

* * *

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I looked around the Qi Palace, going through another door and entering the main area. I could see Disco Honey sprawled over a lounge with The Cross, and The Thunder and The Mercury on a different lounge.

They all seemed so happy being with their – perhaps now – partners, and this made my heart ache. I wanted Ruby Red here with us. I wanted her here with _me_. I sighed a little, hoping she was alright, and then entered further into the Palace.

It was a ritzy place. The floors were marble and the furniture was vintage and the bar was modern and it had every alcohol imaginable. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, sparkling brightly like stars in the night sky.

I sighed and looked around more as I took a few more steps into the place. I bumped past someone and scurried to the bar. A servant looked up to me and his eyes widened. He walked closer to me and looked around, making sure no-one was listening in to our conversation. He looked back to me, "Jack the Ripper?" He asked.

I nodded, peering at him, "Reach Out?" I asked. He nodded and I smirked, "Good to see you."

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"We're rescuing the Princess – me, Disco Honey, The Thunder, The Cross and The Mercury." I told him.

"Oh, that's great! Well, good luck, my friend." He said, turning back to the drinks, "Oh, would you like anything to drink?" He asked me.

"Can you get me a margarita?" I asked.

Reach Out chuckled, getting a glass from above his head, "Ah, margaritas, Mexican drink. Still want to elope to Mexico, I see?" He asked.

"Perhaps once for a little visit. Maybe I might go with Ruby." I pondered.

He covered the edges of my glass in salt, "Still got that crush on her? You've had that since High School."

"Yeah, that's when I realized I had a crush on her. But no, no, not a crush anymore. Strong feelings." I told him, scanning the room for the Princess.

I turned back and watched as Reach Out poured the drink into my glass from a pitcher. He handed it to me, "Well, I hope everything goes well. Hey, remember to rescue me, won't you?"

"Yeah, of course." I assured him, "Hey, have you seen anyone's parents around?" I asked him quietly.

"Yeah, The Thunder's mum used to work here, so did yours, Ruby Red's and Disco Honey's. They were moved, I don't think they walk on this earth any longer." He told me.

Disco Honey, The Thunder, Ruby Red and I's mothers were all presumed dead. The Mercury's mother _was_ dead. Only our fathers were left, wherever they were. But The Thunder and The Cross didn't have a father, nor did Disco Honey. The Thunder and The Cross's father had died from a stupid act before the invasion, Disco Honey's dad had died trying to protect the Princess; he was one of her guards.

We were orphans of war, burdened by the thoughts of not having our parents. I cast a glance over to Disco Honey, The Thunder and The Cross, who all seemed so calm and just a little happy. I felt pained.

"What about our dads?" I asked.

"Last I heard, they were all taken with some of the children – who are now young teens – to a factory, training up as The City's 'army', of sorts." He told me. I nodded. The Mercury's and my father would be there, hopefully.

I looked back to my group. "See ya, I gotta go tell them." I said over my shoulder. I approached Disco Honey and The Cross first, who were clutching each other's hands whilst talking to a man.

"Oh, Gerard. You've come." Disco Honey said, looking up.

I played along, "Yeah, sorry I'm late; I was just getting a drink. Can we talk?"

The man stood and walked away. I sat where he had been and Disco Honey stopped the act, "So, you seen the Princess?" Disco Honey asked as I took a sip of my margarita.

"No, not yet. But I have some news; take into account that it may not be true, though." I told him, "Apparently, all of our mothers used to work here, but one day they were moved. Reach Out's working here, and he doesn't think they walk on the earth."

Disco Honey sighed, "If you see the Princess, ask her. I'm not taking an assumption from Reach Out." Disco Honey said.

I nodded, "Will do. Well, you're both doing a great job, so keep it up." I told them, getting up. I wouldn't tell The Thunder. Reach Out could be wrong, and every part of me was hoping that was true.

* * *

**Ruby Red's POV**

I stared up at Samantha, who was now sitting on my knees. She licked my cheek, covering her lips in my blood. I winced, letting out a small yelp.

"Oh, you're a brave little button, Ruby." She smiled, getting a tissue and wiping her lips. "Now, where is it or I will make sure you die from blood loss." She threatened.

I sighed, "It's at-"

"What?" Samantha asked menacingly, grabbing my jaw and pushing my head back, staring into my eyes.

"It's dressed in the Kimono," I started. I was doing it. This was happening, "At the Qi Palace."

Samantha smirked, stuffing her hand in my face and pushing it back, then getting up. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?" She asked.

She smiled, looking down at me with hatred in her eyes, "You know what, Ruby? One day you'll just be a piece of forgotten history. A traitor to her people. This will be their downfall and it will be all because of you." She told me. She turned on her heels, walking to her guards, "Alert the Palace, bring it to me."

"Should we keep it at your factory for punishment?" One guard asked as she walked down the hall.

"Yes!" She shouted, "That will be a fine place for it rot."

I sighed as a guard walked to me, injecting me with sleeping serum. My vision went black.


	21. Closing The Goddamn Door

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I looked around the Qi Palace once again. This was near impossible. I walked forth and something caught my attention. In the corner of my eye, past many girls in masks fanning themselves, was a girl dressed in a kimono, sitting on a throne. Like a decoration. Unmoving and silent.

There was something appealing about the Princess. Her movements were all quite precise, like they were pre-planned and rehearsed, and the way she spoke; like she knew all of the future and past in that mind of hers, just waiting to be spoken. Like she was willing to get the burden of that information off of her shoulders.

No one seemed to notice her, which was a surprise to me. Did they just see her as an insignificant being like they did with some of their other people? They could be shallow and cruel like that. There was the odd one who did show kindness or legitimate concern, but those types of people were a rare type here. Like looking for a rose in the dead of winter. I turned and walked in her direction and slipping past the girls, uttering apologies of no worth. I then came to spot in front of the girl and looked at her, my eyes resting on her face, then looking down at her kimono and her feet. I smiled, walking forth and kneeling down so I was at her eye level. She had a hand to her lips, and the other holding up a mask that covered her eyes. As if she was hiding a deadly secret.

Reaching out my trembling hand, I gently pulled the mask away from her face to reveal paper white skin and creamy red orbs that were her eyes. I stared at her with steady eyes. I only had to know one other thing to know it was the Princess.

Carefully, I pulled her hand away from her face to see she was covering no mouth. I smirked, it was her. This was it. I had found the Princess, and this meant half the battle was done.

"Your majesty." I smirked, whispering softly so no one heard.

"Jack the Ripper." She greeted with her mind-talk. "Come, let's go." She suggested. I stood and took her hand, turning and seeing my group looking toward me. I nodded and walked forth, but then I saw guards looking to me and running forth. Crap. I ran, dragging the Princess behind me, but the guards blocked the exit and grabbed our shoulders.

"You will be taken to the factory to rot." The guards said in unison, with monotone voices. One raced off to grab the Princess's mask and came back with it.

No, my plan was crumbling down like an old building. What was I to do now? A guard brought up a needle with a pale yellow liquid in it and pushed me aside, going to the Princess.

"No! Stop!" I yelled, jumping in front of her and jabbing the needle into his own arm. The guard swayed and then fell to the ground in a clump of wobbly legs and arms, and the rest of the guards handcuffed us, taking us out of the Qi Palace and leading us down a street to where a large airship was parked in a field of broken concrete.

"That was brave of you Jack." The Princess told me.

"Thank you." I murmured.

The guards pushed us onto the ship and pushed us down to the floor. I looked back up at them and they stared down at us with hatred. They turned on their heels and went away, closing the door on us and entering another room on the ship.

I hung my head in shame. I had failed my Princess, and I had failed all of Bat Country. The one job I had, and I blew it. My shoulders and heart felt heavy with the feeling of failure, and my stomach churned with guilt.

**The Mercury's POV**

I cast a worried glance to The Thunder, watching Jack being taken off by the guards with the Princess. I saw The Cross and Disco Honey look over to me worriedly. They got up and travelled to us.

"What do we do?"

"We go to the factory and rescue them, obviously." The Thunder told us. "Girls, get your regular clothes on." The Thunder told The Cross and I. We raced to the bathroom and changed quickly, then ran back out and to the guys. The Thunder and Disco approached us and we made our way to the bar quickly to see someone familiar.

"Reach Out." The Thunder breathed, seeing him.

"Greetings, The Thunder, Disco Honey, The Cross and The Mercury." He greeted quietly. He ducked under the tabletop and brought up a zip up leather jacket, chucking it at Disco Honey, "You can't go off to save them in that, because you _are_ going, aren't you?"

"Of course." Disco told him, nodding.

"There's also an old white tank wrapped up in the jacket. Best of luck." Reach Out said, turning back to the drinks like nothing had ever happened. Disco took the items and ran to the bathroom, changing, then coming back out to us again.

"Let's move; we wanna get there quickly." Disco said, approaching us and putting on his hood. We quickly left the Qi Palace, thankfully closing the damn door, running down the streets where some bodies at random lay face down. Thankfully, none of them were our people. I wonder who killed them, with the pulling of a trigger or with swift stab of a knife. The thoughts flew about my brain like bats in the mist; bringing a dark topic even more melancholic thoughts.

I pushed those thoughts aside, gathering my courage. I needed all the strength of my inner Lion bravery to get me through what would come with this task of rescuing them, and what would happen after.

Who knew? I could've been dead by the end of this, anyway.


	22. Reunion of Child and Father

**I have been very very busy with the ending of school, assignments and so forth, so please forgive me for not updating! Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

**The Mercury's POV**

Running down the cold streets, my fingers were like icicles. I could not feel them, and they were going pale white. I sighed, trudging through the streets with the smell of blood lingering in my mouth. The Thunder took my hand, pulling me along.

We all hid behind a corner, near an empty field of concrete. There was 1 large airship there. "So we just hijack it?" The Thunder asked of Disco Honey.

"Yep." He answered. Just as we turned the corner, many men in red sweat clothes and masks walked in large groups onto the ship, bustling with energy and muscle, followed closely by guards. Disco Honey ran forth, The Cross steadily at his side. The Thunder and I soon followed, our footsteps not whispering any sound.

"We'll just have to take a chance." Disco told us quietly as we neared him. Behind the guards, we boarded, avoiding their sight. We hid behind some crates and watched as the men in red sat in rows, not uttering a word. Like statues.

"Factory, let's go." A guard said in monotone. The ground shook and I figured we were taking off, "We must get there before the others." The guard said again.

"I will contact them, we will overtake them." A guard told the other guard. They both nodded in agreement, and turned, going to a different room. Then, the men turned to each other, pulling off each other's masks.

I looked at each of them. They were so familiar. Then I saw my dad.

"My God, that's my dad." I murmured, not moving my eyes from him.

The Thunder looked at me, "What're you waiting for? Go." He told me. Cautiously, I stood and motioned to them, who were all engaged in conversation. I cleared my throat loudly and they all looked up at me. Their faces were quiet shocked, especially my father's.

"Hello..." I greeted awkwardly. "I'm The Mercury."

My father stood, walking over to me cautiously. He studied me, realizing the little girl he'd known had grown up. "Is it really you?" He questioned.

I nodded, "Hi dad."

My dad scooped me into his arms, laughing, "It's my girl! She found us!" He said.

"What are they doing to you guys?" I asked.

"We're like an unofficial army." My dad explained.

"Come on, guys!" I called over to the group. They got up and my dad let go of me, looking at them.

"Dad, you remember Disco Honey, The Cross and The Thunder, don't you?" I asked.

He nodded and I saw another man stand, "I know for a fact that my son was not kidnapped. Where's Jack the Ripper?" He asked. Jack the Ripper's dad was alive.

I paused, falling silent. Jack the Ripper's father just looked at me, his eyes pleading that he wasn't dead. "Well, he isn't dead. Um, it's a long story."

So our little group told the 'army' the whole story of how one day we went to rescue Ruby Red, Die Young and Fearful Dark and how we met Samantha. How she betrayed us and captured the guys, and then how she captured Ruby Red and how we went undercover to save the Princess to bring order back to Bat Country and drive the rich ones out of The City and how Jack had been kidnapped with the Princess.

"So yeah, we're going to the factory to save Jack and the Princess." The Thunder finished.

"That's great; that's where we train. You can stay at our rest area until they get there, then you'll have to get away from us and hide." My dad told us. I nodded, yawning. We, The Underground, at approximately 2:35 AM today, had taken over The City.

It was a 12 hour flight there, according to my father. And we were all very tired. So our little group got back behind the crates and laid down for some needed rest.

But my mind kept thinking about the rest of us who didn't have parents. Ruby Red, Jack the Ripper, The Cross, The Thunder and Disco Honey did not presently have mothers. Nor did I, but I knew my mother had died in battle a while ago. They were left with the thoughts of their mothers being alive, or dead.

I sighed, feeling an arm rest over my stomach and a nose nuzzle into the back of my neck. I looked back to see it was The Thunder. I smiled tiredly, and I drowned in the waves of slumber.

* * *

**The Mercury's Father's POV**

I watched my daughter as she slept. The Thunder was holding her in his arms, like he was protecting her. Comforting her. Were they _together_? It seemed so. She was growing up. How old would she be? She'd be...21 now. I'd missed 10 years of her, and she'd done so much without me.

Hearing her words earlier, the long story, she quietly turned to me after, whispering, "Mum died a while back. I'm glad I have a parent again."

Heartbroken Killer, my wife, had died. The words had stung me, but then The Mercury made them better by saying it was good to have me with her.

I sighed and felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to Jack the Ripper's father, Broken Bones. He smiled, "She's not the only one who's got someone." He murmured, nodding to The Cross and Disco Honey, who were keeping close.

"You reckon Jack would have anyone?" I asked.

Broken Bones chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised." He murmured.

* * *

**Jack the Ripper's POV**

I sighed, feeling the aircraft slowing. "We must let them overtake." I heard one of the monotone guards say.

"Can I as a question?" I murmured, looking to the Princess, whose eyes were closed in deep thought.

She opened them, "Of course." She said with her mind talk.

"Are our mothers alive?" I asked.

The Princess blinked, "You heard from Reach Out they were dead, yes?"

"Yes."

"Well, he was wrong." She said. I felt a smile creeping along my face. Our mothers – mine, The Thunder and The Cross's, Ruby Red's and Disco Honey's – were alive.

"So are yours and The Mercury's fathers." She told me. Even better. Things were looking up for us.

"You didn't kill, did you?" The Princess asked me after a few moments of pause.

I sighed, "I do not kill innocents. I spared children, I spared mothers and I spared fathers. I spare families because I don't know where mine is. I did not come across anyone who wasn't a mother or father."

The Princess nodded in approval.


End file.
